Proposal of an audio guide production support method focusing on the volume balance with the movie
While many people enjoy watching movies, the visually impaired are not able to fully enjoy them due to the low popularity of audio-directed movie guides (ADs). We conducted an experiment using our voice guide production software (left figure) for beginners to produce an audio guide. Although the cost of production can be reduced by the participation of novices, the quality of the voice guidance system is degraded. We quantified the differences in volume settings between professionals and novices (right figure), and are studying ways to improve them.
The Effect of Speech Speed of Movie Voice Guides on Listening and Impressions
In this study, we developed software that can adjust the speech speed of an audio guide by voice and keyboard operation in order to more actively reflect the opinions of the visually impaired in the production of the audio guide. Visually impaired people were asked to use the software to determine the optimal speech speed for both human voice and synthetic voice. In addition, young sighted people were asked to listen to the audio guide and rate it on a scale of 0 to 9 (Average score) for 10 questions. The results showed that the use of speech speeds selected by the visually impaired (synthetic speech SOO, speech HOO) significantly amplified the sense of presence and immersion, even for the original synthetic speech guide, which is inferior to the recorded version of the audio guide at the same speech speed.
Research on non-fatiguing voice guidance focusing on voice quality of synthetic voice
Have you ever felt uncomfortable or unnatural when listening to a synthesized voice?
Currently, the quality of synthesized voices is such that it is difficult to tell the difference from a human voice when listening to short sentences. However, in situations where you listen to a synthetic voice for a long period of time, such as when listening to an audio guide for a movie, a slight discomfort or unnaturalness may lead to fatigue.
In this study, in order to improve the quality of voice guidance using synthetic voices, we evaluated "fatigue" and "ear fatigue" caused by movie voice guidance using both natural and synthetic voices, and investigated the causes. As a result, the discomfort and unnaturalness of three factors in particular, "intonation," "accent," and "pauses," were pointed out. The figure on the right shows a voice guidance system with different accents between a natural voice and a synthesized voice, using frequencies.
In the future, we plan to identify acoustic features corresponding to the three elements in order to create a natural voice guide.
Investigation of measurement methods in plant bioelectrical potentials to realize high quality countryside
Akita Prefecture aims to make its prefecture a "high-quality countryside" as a prefectural administrative policy starting in 2022. Therefore, the use of digital technology that takes advantage of the rich natural environment is required.
This study focuses on the bioelectric potential of plants, which changes depending on surrounding environmental factors, and aims to visualize the biological information of plants.
As shown in the figure, electrodes were placed on plant leaves and bioelectric potentials were measured under various conditions. The results showed that the bioelectrical potential was low at the beginning of the measurement and gradually increased to a stable value over time, but there were exceptions.
We plan to conduct additional experiments in the future for more detailed analysis.
