Auditory displays show potential for assisting mobility and wayfinding for visually impaired persons. This article examines whether spatialized nonspeech beacons could guide naviagation and how sound timbre, waypoint capture radius and practice affect performance. Participants in the study navigated three maps, guided by one of three beacons (pink noise, sonal ping or 1000Hz pure tone) spatialized by a virtual reality engine. Efficiency of time and path length were dependent measures. Overall navigation was very successful, with significant effects of practice and capture radius, and interactions with beacon sound. Overshooting and subsequent hunting for waypoints was exacerbated for small radius conditions. A human-scale capture radius (1.5 m) and sonar-like beacon yielded the optimal combination for safety and efficiency. These results indicate that selection of beacon sound and capture radius depend on the specific application, including whether speed of travel or adherence to path are of primary concern. These findings could be applicable to wayfinding in public transit and pedestrian facilities as well as for first responders in a smoke-filled building.
Abstract