Course syllabus

 Heat maps. Trajectories performed in the xy-plane by four children when moving while controlling three different sound models (A, B, C). Each color represents one child, brighter color corresponds to higher velocity. 

Welcome!

Sound in Interaction is a course at the Department of Media Technology and Interaction Design (MID), EECS, worth 7.5 ECTS credits. It is given in period 3.

A great part of human communication and interaction with the surrounding environment is based on sound. Sound pervades our life; speech, sounds produced by our interaction with the environment, and everyday sounds are the most common sounds that we hear continuously during the day. In spite of this, interaction in HCI is mainly vision-based. In a world where graphical displays are becoming smaller and sometimes missing, there is a need for a new way of human-machine interaction based on sound.

This course offers a multi-disciplinary overview of the principles underlying the use of sound in interaction between users and machines.

Videos of projects developed since the 2018 edition of the course can be found in the KTH Play channel DT2300 Sound in Interaction. Video of previous editions of the course can be found in Vimeo here (2016 & 2017) Links to an external site., and here (2015 and before) Links to an external site..

The course combines the basics as well as the latest results in sound perception, sound in human-machine interaction, and sonification (e.g. data representation using the audio channel).

The course includes:

• An overview of sound perception including the perception and recognition of sound sources, sound illusions, and experimental methodology (with particular focus on practical issues when experimenting with sound);

• An overview of latest technology for the use of sound in interaction, including sound models, data sonification methods, sensor platforms;

• Some hands-on laboratory sessions where course participants can try and experiment with different methods and technology for sound design;

• The realization of a project where each student will work in-depth within a selected area of interest, but following a theme. The theme for 2021 is "The soundscape of the future".

Place: the course will be in ZOOM except for lab sessions which can be done also in the Multisensory Studio at KTH (located next door to MIDDLA) and the sound walk that will be outside.

Please note that the links below are available only if you are attending the course: 

• Lecture list and slides
• Course Literature
• Laboratory sessions
• Grading criteria for the course

About the final project

• Project
• Project report
• Project: Oral presentation and demonstration
• Grading criteria for the project report