The goal of the GT Accessible Aquarium Project is to make dynamic exhibits such as those at museums, science centers, zoos and aquaria more engaging and accessible for visitors with vision impairments by providing real-time interpretations of the exhibits using innovative tracking, music, narrations, and adaptive sonification. It is an interdisciplinary collaboration between GT researchers Bruce Walker, Tucker Balch, Gil Weinberg, Carrie Bruce, Jon Sanford, and Aaron Bobick, bringing together the fields of Psychology, Computing, Music, and Assistive Technology.In this project, we are developing cutting edge bio-tracking and behavior analysis techniques that can provide input for sophisticated, informative, and compelling multimedia auditory displays, music, and sonifications. As part of the project we study how musicians (such as Laurie Anderson) interpret dynamic displays such as fish aquaria, and develop algorithm to use tracking information to generate musical response that represent the movements of fish in the aquarium..The principles and techniques we develop will be immediately applicable to zoos, museums, and other informal learning environments with dynamic exhibits, leading to a dramatic increase in the opportunities for people with vision impairments to experience these types of exhibits.

 

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