Evaluation of photogrammetry-based near-field head related transfer function estimation for immersive sound reproduction

Binaural reproduction algorithms are commonly applied in virtual and augmented reality applications to create immersive audio environments. Nonetheless, flexible near-field binaural rendering remains challenging. In this work, we explore the acoustic accuracy of photogrammetry-based, near-field head-related transfer function estimation. Photogrammetry measurements of the Head and Torso Simulator (HATS) are taken using a photogrammetry rig consisting of 44 synchronized Canon 1300D DSLR cameras mounted on ten aluminium poles arranged in a circle of 0.8m radius. An Apple iPhone 14 Pro mobile phone is used to acquire the ear data. Commercial photogrammetry software is then used to create a 3D mesh from the still images. Finally, numerical acoustic simulations using the fast multipole boundary element method (FM-BEM) technique are applied to the mesh to generate the near-field HRTFs. We present comparisons of acoustically-measured and photogrammetry-based near-field HRTFs.