From September 10th to 12th, AIRIS LAB members Rai Sato and Sungjoon Kim attended the 3rd International Conference on Immersive and 3D Audio (I3DA), held at the University of Bologna in Italy.
The I3DA conference is a dedicated international gathering focused on 3D audio technology and research. This year’s event featured approximately 90 accepted papers indexed on IEEE and brought together around 60 researchers and professionals from across the globe to discuss the future of immersive audio.
Our Presentations
Our laboratory presented two research papers during the conference:
“Perceptual Factors Influencing Listener Preferences in Head-tracked Binaural Renderers”
- Authors: Rai Sato and Sungyoung Kim
- Overview: Presented on September 11th, this study modeled how experienced listeners evaluate their preferences for binaural audio. The presentation shared a preliminary report based on experiments conducted with students and faculty members at Tokyo University of the Arts, offering insights into the specific perceptual cues that drive listener satisfaction in head-tracked environments.
- Paper: 10.1109/I3DA65421.2025.11202103
“Virtual Reconstruction of Historical Heritage: A 6DoF Immersive Audio Reproduction of Magoksa Temple”
- Authors: Sungjoon Kim, Rai Sato, Kyungteak Oh, Pooseung Koh, and Sungyoung Kim
- Overview: Presented on September 12th, this research introduced a method for implementing the acoustic characteristics of cultural heritage architecture in virtual environments. The study demonstrated a hybrid framework using 3D scanning and spherical microphone arrays to create a perceptually plausible 6-Degrees-of-Freedom (6DoF) experience, utilizing the UNESCO World Heritage site Magoksa Temple as a case study.
- Paper: 10.1109/I3DA65421.2025.11202030
Conference Highlights
The conference provided an opportunity to explore a wide range of topics in immersive audio. Notable presentations included:
- Vehicle Sound Interaction: A study by V. Bruschi et al. (Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy) investigated drivers’ emotional responsiveness and immersion using a RACE-based car audio system. Their monitoring approach offered valuable insights relevant to our lab’s ongoing research into automotive audio environments.
- Immersive Presentation of the Chauvet-Pont-D’Arc Cave: Researchers from CCRMA (Stanford University) presented a fascinating project on auralizing cave environments. Their approach used Unreal Engine combined with a custom sound engine to create a simplified yet effective binaural experience for exhibitions. It was particularly interesting to see Dr. Miriam Kolar, a co-researcher on previous aural heritage projects, joining this initiative.
Technical Tour: Teatro Comunale di Bologna
As part of the conference program, attendees participated in a technical tour of the historic Teatro Comunale di Bologna. We had the unique opportunity to examine the theater’s acoustics and architecture, including a height-adjustable floor mechanism that was in use until 1964. We also experienced firsthand how the flutter echo varies depending on the position within the hall, providing a tangible lesson in architectural acoustics.
The I3DA 2025 conference was a valuable experience for our team, allowing us to share our latest findings on heritage acoustics and binaural rendering while exchanging ideas with leading experts in the field of 3D audio.