1. Heiner Löllmann and Christine Evers
EARS Database
Heiner Löllmann and Christine Evers
SB Meeting
Erlangen, December, 2016

2. H. Löllmann: EARS database
Goal
EARS data base should be recorded
should be made publicly available (via the EARS website)
part of our dissemination activities and promised deliverables
stimulates research on robot audition and allows to compare results
benchmarking of algorithms for real data recordings
basis for a later challenge on localization and tracking
only a subset of the measurements will be used for that
Schedule
3 (or more) days of data recording at UBER
opti track system needed to get the ground truth data for the moving sources
pilot recordings in December (such that it can be attributed to EARS)
final recordings in January (Christine, FAU (N.N.))
H. Löllmann: EARS database

3. H. Löllmann: EARS database
Setups and Scenarios
Possible microphone configurations
12-mic prototype head with the robomorphic array
32-channel Eigenmike
DICIT array (includes an ULA)
binaural recordings with hearing aid dummies on a dummy head
Scenarios
microphone arrays at a fixed place
walking robots (not for the challenge)
fixed and moving speakers
one or multiple speakers
interfering noise
room reverberations
H. Löllmann: EARS database

4. H. Löllmann: EARS database
Challenge
General remarks
no distinction between localization and tracking task
separate challenge tasks for different scenarios
reverberation might be influenced to some extend by a carpet etc.
reasonably complex tasks
no dedicated training data but an development database (similar as for the ACE challenge)
H. Löllmann: EARS database

5. H. Löllmann: EARS database
Challenge
Scenarios (sources=speakers)
single source stationary, stationary sensors, babble noise
two sources stationary, stationary sensors, babble noise
single moving source, stationary sensors, babble noise
single moving sources, moving sensors, babble noise
multiple moving sources, moving sensors, babble noise
Sources and sensors are moved by a trolley
HRTF measurements
collection of available HRTF measurements (by FAU)
might be done at Oldenburg, Aachen or Bochum (FAU will check)
for 12 mic robot head, dummy head with HAs,
Acoustic conditions can be changed by varying to some extend
T60 (by a carpet etc.)
distance and DRR varies ‘naturally’
H. Löllmann: EARS database

6. H. Löllmann: EARS database
Next Steps
Measurement script (IMPERIAL and FAU)
specification of the tasks and evaluation measures
scripts for the evaluation and recordings
HRTF measurements (to be organized by FAU)
Organization of measurement campaign (IMPERIAL, FAU and UBER)
Potential participants (should be contacted before the challenge)
NTT, Fraunhofer, Google, Amazon, INRIA, Oldenburg, Bochum, HA companies, BMW(?), Group of Sharon Gannot, etc.
Proposal of a challenge to IEEE AASP-TC (prepared by Christine)
Announcement of the challenge at the HSCMA (Christine)
Dissemination workshop
IWAENC 2018 in Tokyo
Leader to be named? (perhaps FAU)
H. Löllmann: EARS database