Spatialized Audio

Spatialized audio is a technology that creates the perception of sound coming from specific locations in three-dimensional space around the listener, using techniques such as head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and binaural rendering. In accessibility, spatialized audio is used in wayfinding applications to guide blind and low-vision users by placing virtual sound sources in the direction they should walk, providing an intuitive directional cue that does not require verbal instructions. Microsoft Soundscape pioneered this approach for pedestrian navigation, and the technique is also used in audio description, virtual reality, and accessible gaming to convey spatial relationships non-visually.