10 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
An interdisciplinary team at Virginia Tech
is seeking answers to a human need many
take for granted: Access to safe, clean
drinking water.
e eort, sponsored by the Institute
for Society, Culture and Environment’s
(ISCE) Scholars Program, includes ve
researchers and ve students measuring
the economic and health impacts of water
availability in an Appalachian commu-
nity. ey surveyed residents in McDowell
County, West Virginia, who oen rely on
water sources such as natural springs and
boled water.
“We all have this perception of universal
access in America,” Leigh-Anne Krometis,
an associate professor of biological systems
engineering, told Virginia Tech News. “Stu-
dents come to Virginia Tech and they learn
it is a lot more complex. It’s not just a tech-
nical issue. ere are political issues and
sociological issues. Doing this research is
highlighting the issues that still exist in lots
of parts of rural America.”
Members collected water samples for
testing including from pipes in 14 homes
where residents’ incomes fall below the na-
tional poverty level. ey also conducted
surveys about residents’ water use and per-
ception of its quality.
“Because we tend to think that the U.S.
provides water to everyone, these people
get le behind,” said Emerald Dudzinski,
an IISE student member and graduate stu-
dent in industrial and systems engineering.
“To make a decision as to what is the best
way to get these people clean water access,
we need to start with how much it costs
them right now, and how we make it more
aordable to them.”
e researchers also gathered boled
water samples from local stores and took
samples from natural springs oen used
by residents. ey were tested in four labs
at Virginia Tech for metals, nutrients, min-
erals, bacteria and microplastics as well as
chemical coatings known as PFAS that can
contribute to health complications.
Initial lab results showed PFAS were
common in samples taken from homes
that depended upon stream water. In ad-
dition, 65% of residents reported using
boled water as their primary drinking
source. A reliance on boled water, in ad-
dition to potential health risks from micro-
plastics, includes the expense of purchase
and transportation.
Dudzinksi and ISE associate profes-
sor Kimberly Ellis, also an IISE member,
measured the economic impact and found
that residents spent at least 6.2% of median
monthly household income on water, com-
pared to the 4.5% recommended by the
Environmental Protection Agency.
“I expect that to go up quite a bit when
we factor in everything else,” Dudzinski
said. “Our ultimate goal is to measure wa-
ter aordability. To do so we must con-
struct models for the economic impact of
dierent water sources to ensure we cap-
ture both direct and indirect costs.”
e team intends to make its full nd-
ings available to the residents surveyed to
help them make decisions.
“We are trying to help the residents
make beer choices about their water
sources, but some residents don’t really
have a choice,” Krometis said. “is project
also gives graduate students the opportu-
nity to conduct real-world research that
maers and has obvious implications for
the communities involved.”
News from the field
The front line
Rural water access is focus of Virginia Tech study
Researchers, including IISE members, take surveys, samples to gauge impact
Virginia Tech professor and researcher Leigh-Anne Krometis stands beside a roadside spring in
McDowell, West Virginia, where many residents collect their household water.
Felicia Spencer for Virginia Tech
July 2023 | ISE Magazine 11
Diagnosing and predicting strokes is a dicey challenge for medi-
cal practitioners. Numerous symptoms such as seizures, mi-
graines and alcohol inebriation can mimic the eects of a stroke,
leading to delayed care and potential health complications.
A method to beer predict stroke cases for high-risk patients
is the focus of a study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon Uni-
versity, Florida International University and Santa Clara Univer-
sity. eir work has appeared in the Journal of Medical Internet
Research.
e eorts focus on developing an automated screening tool
that uses articial intelligence and machine learning to assess the
likelihood of a stroke.
“Machine learning techniques have been utilized to aid in
identifying stroke by interpreting intricate data such as clini-
cal notes and diagnostic imaging results,” said Rema Padman,
a Trustees Professor of Management Science and Healthcare
Informatics at Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College and a study
co-author. “However, such information may not be promptly ac-
cessible when patients are rst evaluated in hospital emergency
departments, particularly in remote and underserved regions.”
e research team worked to develop a stroke forecasting
algorithm from patient data acquired at admission. e social
determinants of health also were factored into the formula, in-
cluding conditions patients are born into and grow up in, their
current residential area and age.
e study analyzed more than 143,000 patient admissions in
Florida hospitals from 2012-14, along with social determinant
data from the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey. eir
prototype formula included specic information such as demo-
graphics (age, gender, race, ethnicity), history of chronic illness
and payer status.
e prototype showed an 84% accuracy in predicting strokes,
far beer than current methods. Researchers say the results show
that demographics and social determinants are vital keys to a
proper stroke diagnosis.
Min Chen, co-author of the study and an associate professor of
information systems and business analytics in FIU’s College of
Business, states that “the moderate sensitivity of existing models
raises concerns that they miss a signicant portion of individuals
with a stroke. In hospitals facing a scarcity of medical resources
and clinical personnel, our algorithm can complement current
models to facilitate promptly prioritizing patients for appropriate
intervention.”
“Because our model doesn’t necessitate clinical notes or diag-
nostic test results, it might be particularly valuable in confront-
ing the challenges of misdiagnosis when managing walk-in pa-
tients with stroke who exhibit milder and atypical symptoms,”
said Xuan Tan, a study co-author and a lecturer in at the Leavey
School of Business at Santa Clara.
Tan suggests the model could help with diagnoses in emergen-
cy departments of low-volume or nonstroke centers and in rural
regions where sensitive diagnostic tools are scarce.
“e moderate sensitivity of existing models raises concerns
that they miss a signicant portion of individuals with a stroke,”
said study co-author Min Chen, an associate professor of infor-
mation systems and business analytics in Florida International’s
College of Business. “In hospitals facing a scarcity of medical re-
sources and clinical personnel, our algorithm can complement
current models to facilitate promptly prioritizing patients for ap-
propriate intervention.”
A new model for predicting strokes
Algorithm devised in study analyzes patients’ demographic, social data
Quote, unquote
AI changing the blueprint in construction
“e reality is that as part of our data journey ... we have a process to go through around data literacy and building an understanding
of data tools and how those can be integrated into the work that we do. Construction is an industry that has relied on people’s expe-
rience and intuition. So, we’re doing a lot of work in sort of a foundational capacity in thinking about how we develop our people’s
ability to think dierently about how they integrate data into the work they do every day and make more data-informed decisions.
We’re not creating a future where AI is going to take everyone’s job. So just building that level of understanding and awareness, I
think, is really important to geing people to a point where we can have meaningful conversations about what tools like ChatGPT
can actually do for the business. ... ChatGPT sort of opened up this Pandora’s box of natural language processing, which has forced
us to go back and reevaluate some of our prioritization because there are a few use cases that will really benet from enhanced
natural language processing and capability.”
— Will Senner, vice president of preconstruction at Skanska USA Building, in an interview with Construction Dive, on the role of artificial intelligence
in the construction industry.
12 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
the frontlinethe front line
A University of Missouri faculty member is working on new ways
to create tiny devices to help bale neurological diseases.
Assistant professor Yi Wang, an IISE member, has collaborated
with colleagues from various departments to create microelec-
trodes that can aid research involving brain activity. Along with
collaborators from biomedical and mechanical engineering and
the MU School of Medicine, he uses 3D printing and microelec-
tromechanical systems to create the nano electrodes.
“By using 3D printing, we can save time and money, and we can
customize electrodes for dierent neuroscience studies,” Wang
told Mizzou Engineering. “In the coming years, my research focus
will be on fabrication of multifunctional neuro microelectrodes to
record neural activities and detect neural chemicals and transmit-
ters.”
e devices can lead to improvements in medical treatments, as
well as brain-machine interactions.
While earning his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University,
Wang helped develop a exible neural microprobe and a strategy
to implement it using ultrasonic vibration with bio-dissolvable
insertion guides. e tool was designed to record and stimulate
neural activity under MRIs to further explore neurophysiological
mechanisms and diagnose brain diseases.
In addition to his research around biomedical applications and
devices, Wang teaches advanced manufacturing and computer-
aided design in Missouri’s Department of Industrial and Systems
Engineering.
“I like the environment,” he said of the school. “A lot of the
students here have a good mathematical and engineering back-
ground, and students in our department also understand machine
learning. at helps when it comes to analyzing neural data.”
IISE member creates tiny, 3D-printed electrode
Device designed by Missouri’s Wang measures brain activity
IISE member and University of Missouri assistant professor Yi Wang
holds a microprobe in his lab created by 3D printing.
Photo courtesy of University of Missouri College of Engineering
When the articial intelligence chatbot
pops up on a screen asking, “How may
I help you today?” are we more likely to
trust it if it demonstrates some type of
empathy?
A recent study shows that people do
indeed respond more favorably to an-
thropomorphic AI when it oers per-
sonal information while chaing with
customers. Earlier research has shown
people tend to empathize with robots
that are involved in familiar tasks like
cleaning, robots that mimic pets or chat-
bots that take on more human personas.
Researchers Takahiro Tsumura of
e Graduate University for Advanced
Studies, SOKENDAI and Seiji Yamada
of the National Institute of Informatics,
both in Tokyo, presented their ndings
in the journal PLOS ONE in May. ey
conducted online experiments in which
participants chaed via text with an on-
line AI agent that was accompanied by a
human-like illustration or anthropomor-
phic robot. In a lunch break scenario, the
AI disclosed personal information relat-
ed to work, details about a hobby or no
personal details. Data from 918 partici-
pants was gathered via a questionnaire
and showed the AI that disclosed work-
related personal information earned the
most empathy.
e ndings showed that while the
AI agent’s appearance had lile eect on
empathy, such self-disclosure was help-
ful in creating a bond.
“is study investigates whether self-
disclosure by anthropomorphic agents
aects human empathy,” the authors
wrote. “Our research will change the
negative image of artifacts used in soci-
ety and contribute to future social rela-
tionships between humans and anthro-
pomorphic agents.”
When AI gets personal, people respond
Study shows bots that create empathy with users are more eective
July 2023 | ISE Magazine 13
Despite ongoing eorts to diversify the engineering labor pool, only about 15% of professional en-
gineers are women (industrial and systems engineers, about 24% female, are beer represented). In
many cases, they are leaving for other elds; the Society of Women Engineers data shows only 30%
of women who earn bachelor’s degrees in engineering are still in the profession 20 years later. To
address the issues behind this, authors Robert Stavig and Alissa Stavig wrote, Retaining Women in
Engineering: e Empowerment of Lean Development. e book discusses ways to make changes to
the engineering eld to level the playing eld between men and women. e authors do so by us-
ing the six principles of Lean development to create strategies and methods. ey draw from the
healthcare eld, where a vast amount of available wrien knowledge is available as part of a physician’s learning process. ey
also describe the two dierent worlds of engineering one of traditional development and of Lean development, with stories
to underscore how the gender condence gap, biases and stereotypes can hamper a female engineer’s career. e book details
how Lean development methods can strengthen an individual’s ability to control their education and career while showing
leaders how to coach employees more eectively, leading to stronger team dynamics. e goal is not only to help female engi-
neers and managers grow to their full potential but leaders at every level who seek gender equity and a chance to strengthen
their organization’s foundation of skills and knowledge. ey combine their know-how from dierent elds: Robert Stavig is
a longtime Hewle-Packard executive and Six Sigma Black Belt; Alissa Stavig, M.D., is a physician with clinical experiences
in inpatient and outpatient seings. ey seek to create a beer environment for women that can also benet all underrep-
resented groups. “While the scope of this book is limited to women in engineering, our hope is that the solutions discussed
may also serve to address overall diversity in the eld of engineering and improve outcomes for all groups who have been
marginalized,” they wrote.
Retaining Women in Engineering: e Empowerment of Lean Development is published by CRC Press.
A focus on gender equity in engineering
Authors seek solutions to keep women involved, retained
Book of the Month
14 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
ABOUT THE SSIE DEPARTMENT
The Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering (SSIE) at the
Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science at Binghamton
University is one of the fastest-growing programs in industrial engineering. Currently
hosting the second-largest doctoral program in the United States, the program is
positively regarded, ranking number 7 on the Princeton Review’s list of “Colleges
that Create Futures” and among Forbes India’s list of 25 American best-value
colleges, among other accolades. The SSIE Department’s research expenditures
have been $8-11 million per year in the last few years, and its faculty members work
collaboratively with over 30 sponsors from industry and federal agencies.
Systems Science and Industrial Engineering
at Binghamton University
RESEARCH AREAS
• Health Systems Engineering
• Data Science and Data Analytics
• Supply Chain Management and Logistics
• Applied Operations Research
• Electronics Packaging/Manufacturing
• Flexible Electronics
• Complex Systems
• Robotics and Cobotics
• 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing
• Smart Energy
• Human Factors/Ergonomics
SSIE BY THE NUMBERS
• $8-11 million in research
expenditures annually in 2020–23
• 30 industry or federal agency
sponsors
DEGREE PROGRAMS
29
tenured/
tenure-track
faculty
4
SUNY
Distinguished
Professors
industrial
engineering
program among
public universities
—U.S. News & World Report
university in
sustainability
— Association for Advancement of
Sustainability in Higher Education
#
5
universities for
engineering
and technology
worldwide
—Times Higher Education
best public
university
in the U.S.
—U.S. News & World Report
TOP
250
#
35
#
31
280
under-
graduates
210
master’s
students
180
doctoral
students
1100
SUNY
Chancellor’s
Award
recipients
ssssiiee..bbiinngghhaammttoonn..eedduu
• MS and PhD Industrial and Systems
Engineering
• MS and PhD Systems Science
• MS Healthcare Systems Engineering
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oonn ccaammppuuss,, oonnlliinnee
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the frontlinethe front line
One solution to solving urban trac gridlock while creating more
sustainable transportation is the use of smaller vehicles that take
up less space and require less energy.
Design and manufacture of such “minimobility” vehicles has
become a growing industry that could reach $100 billion by 2030
worldwide. A September report by the McKinsey Center for Fu-
ture Mobility surveyed 26,000 road users across eight countries
and found that 30% of respondents would consider using three- or
four-wheeled electric vehicles that can carry one to two people. Of
the U.S. respondents, 26% expressed such interest.
e smaller vehicles oer several benets: lower top speeds of
15-56 mph that lead to fewer accidents; less space needed for park-
ing and roadways; cheaper purchase price and maintenance costs;
and electric motors that are less expensive to fuel and service and
that give o no harmful carbon emissions.
Some cities already allow use of electric golf carts on public
streets with speed limits less than 25 mph. In Milton, Georgia, out-
side of Atlanta, drivers must pay a small fee and keep their vehicle
within city standards.
“Connectivity is an important part of the city’s plans for its
downtown area,” city communications director Greg Botelho told
Smart Cities Dive. “is includes adding more, beer, safer ways for
people to walk, ride bicycles, and utilize other modes of transport
beyond larger cars and trucks, including golf carts.”
Yet few cities have created rules for minimobile vehicles despite
their growing popularity or have created the ideal infrastructure
changes to accommodate them.
“People need dedicated space to safely use these vehicles,” said
David King, associate professor at Arizona State University’s
School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning. “We need
a new approach to vehicles that preserves the accessibility of autos
but improves the climate, safety and noise issues.”
Kevin Krizek, a professor of environmental design at the Uni-
versity of Colorado-Boulder and a transportation design expert,
points to Denver as a model for cities adapting to smaller vehicles.
City residents have redeemed more than 4,700 electric bike vouch-
ers through a rebate program designed to put fewer wheels on the
road.
In addition to the need for more storage space and charging op-
tions, Krizek said a bigger obstacle is changing cultural mindsets
on street designs and use.
“You want something where you won’t feel completely over-
powered at any intersection on any particular stretch of road. If
you feel susceptible or unsafe at any intersection, that’s a showstop-
per,” he said.
Two potential incentives to boost micromobility use are vehicle
taxes based on weight and lower speed limits.
“If we bring everybody’s speed down on most streets in cities to
20, maybe 25 (mph) that’s going to be a huge move toward people’s
willingness to accept this change,” said Krizek. “Society has been
programmed to think cities are supposed to operate under the
guidance of vehicles the size of cars. If we could shrink that by a
third to vehicles the size of Christmas trees and give those vehicles
priority, we could do a lot with our existing resources.”
A drive toward fewer wheels on city streets
Urban areas adapt to smaller vehicles to save space, environment
The Toyota i-Road concept vehicle is an example of smaller transportation that could become more popular on urban streets.
Photo courtesy of Toyota
July 2023 | ISE Magazine 15
ABOUT THE SSIE DEPARTMENT
The Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering (SSIE) at the
Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science at Binghamton
University is one of the fastest-growing programs in industrial engineering. Currently
hosting the second-largest doctoral program in the United States, the program is
positively regarded, ranking number 7 on the Princeton Review’s list of “Colleges
that Create Futures” and among Forbes India’s list of 25 American best-value
colleges, among other accolades. The SSIE Department’s research expenditures
have been $8-11 million per year in the last few years, and its faculty members work
collaboratively with over 30 sponsors from industry and federal agencies.
Systems Science and Industrial Engineering
at Binghamton University
RESEARCH AREAS
• Health Systems Engineering
• Data Science and Data Analytics
• Supply Chain Management and Logistics
• Applied Operations Research
• Electronics Packaging/Manufacturing
• Flexible Electronics
• Complex Systems
• Robotics and Cobotics
• 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing
• Smart Energy
• Human Factors/Ergonomics
SSIE BY THE NUMBERS
• $8-11 million in research
expenditures annually in 2020–23
• 30 industry or federal agency
sponsors
DEGREE PROGRAMS
29
tenured/
tenure-track
faculty
4
SUNY
Distinguished
Professors
industrial
engineering
program among
public universities
—U.S. News & World Report
university in
sustainability
— Association for Advancement of
Sustainability in Higher Education
#
5
universities for
engineering
and technology
worldwide
—Times Higher Education
best public
university
in the U.S.
—U.S. News & World Report
TOP
250
#
35
#
31
280
under-
graduates
210
master’s
students
180
doctoral
students
1
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16 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
the frontlinethe front line
Businesses and governments aren’t the only entities who face the
ongoing risk of cyberaacks. A new University of California San
Diego School of Medicine study spotlights the major impact a cy-
beraack such as ransomware can have on a regional hospital, af-
fecting its operations and patient care.
e study was published May 8 in the Journal of the American
Medical Association. It analyzed data from two emergency depart-
ments that were adjacent to a monthlong health care ransomware
aack on neighboring hospitals.
Both of the study authors are doctors. e senior author is
Christopher Longhurst, M.D., a clinical professor of medicine at
UC San Diego School of Medicine as well as chief medical ocer
and chief digital ocer at UC San Diego Health. e rst author
was Christian Dame, M.D., assistant professor of medicine,
emergency medicine and computer science and engineering at UC
San Diego School of Medicine, and emergency medicine physician
at UC San Diego Health.
“Cyberaacks on health care organizations are growing in
frequency and sophistication, which can have real patient care
impacts that extend far beyond a single aected hospital,” said
Dame.
e study showed that hospitals hit by ransomware aacks can
suer from resource constraints tied to increases in patient vol-
umes and ambulance arrivals. ey also can experience increased
waiting room times, patients leaving before being seen by a health
provider, longer patient stays and poor outcomes for critically ill
patients such as stroke victims.
e authors’ research suggests that targeted hospital cyberat-
tacks may be associated with disruptions of nontargeted hospitals
within a community and should be considered a regional disaster.
“Recognizing that cybersecurity aacks can impact adjacent
hospitals is a step toward realizing the need for regional coopera-
tion just like a natural disaster or other major emergency,” said
Longhurst.
Doctors diagnose hospital cyber threats
UC San Diego study highlights risks to regional health facilities
Christopher Longhurst, M.D.
Christian Dame, M.D.
To address dangers in the workplace, the U.S. Occupational
Safety and Health Administration is seing aside Aug. 7-13 as
Safe + Sound Week 2023. e nationwide event held each Au-
gust recognizes the successes of workplace health and safety
programs and oers information and ideas on how to make
job sites safer.
e U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the rate of work-
er deaths and reported injuries has decreased by more than
60% in the past four decades since the Occupational Safety
and Health (OSH) Act was passed. Yet more than 5,000
workers are killed on the job annually, a rate of 14 per day,
and more than 3.6 million suer a serious job-related injury
or illness.
One key to safe habits is to develop safety and health pro-
grams that can identify and mitigate workplace hazards early
on to prevent injury or illness. Such programs also can im-
prove sustainability and help a company’s boom line.
Organizations looking to have their safety eorts recog-
nized are invited to participate. Last year, more than 3,300
businesses helped to raise awareness about workplace health
and safety initiatives. To learn how to take part, visit osha.gov/
safeandsoundweek.
Safe + Sound Week tackles workplace risks
OSHA August observance recognizes workplace safety programs
July 2023 | ISE Magazine 17
Inland port targets truck trac, fumes
One solution to ease highway trac and cut down on vehicle
emissions is to transport more freight by rail rather than hauling by
trucks. As part of this eort, the Georgia Ports Authority has received
federal environmental approval for its second inland terminal,
this one in the state’s northeast corridor near Gainesville. Ocials
anticipate the hub will open by handling up to 60,000 containers
per year, which would alleviate approximately 36 million truck
miles on state highways in the rst year. e shi will reduce CO₂
emissions by 1.6 billion tons by 2054, according to GPA executive
director Gri Lynch. “Moving more cargo by rail eases interstate
trac and reduces the carbon footprint of the state’s logistics
industry by making the most ecient use of the Georgia’s logistics infrastructure,” Lynch said. Work on the site is expected
to begin by January 2024 and be completed by mid 2026. e inland port also is expected to create up to 20 new jobs directly
and open more development opportunities, said Stacy Watson, GPA director of economic and industrial development. e rst
inland terminal, the Appalachian Regional Port in northwest Georgia, has been in operation for ve years and handled more than
28,000 containers through April, a 23% increase from the year before. Several companies have relocated operations nearby to
access the hub, creating growth. e Authority has acquired the site for another new inland port in West Central Georgia, not far
from a Kia automotive plant in West Point. To handle the shi, the terminal at the Port of Savannah has increased its rail capacity
to 1 million containers per year.
Prime NumberS
The Mason Mega Rail Terminal has increased rail capacity
to 1 million containers per year at the Port of Savannah,
with a second inland terminal planned to divert more
cargo o highways and onto rails.
Photo courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority
University graduates from the Class
of 2023 have turned their tassels, and
those headed into the professional
world might want to know which jobs
oer the most potential.
WalletHub, a personal nance web-
site, surveyed 100 occupations to deter-
mine which oer the best opportunities
for rst-time job seekers. It measured
the jobs by assessing scores in three
main categories: immediate opportu-
nity, growth potential and job hazards.
At the top of the list is engineering in
general, which also ranks rst for “im-
mediate opportunity.” Right behind is
environmental, health and safety engi-
neer at No. 2 and safety technician at
No. 3, with the laer ranking among
the best in “job hazards.” Operations
research analyst also cracked the top 10
at No. 7.
Systems engineer came in at No. 14
on the list, two spots ahead of industrial
engineer at No. 16. Other related occu-
pations in the rankings were logistics
analyst at No. 36 and industrial engi-
neering technician at No. 42.
Rounding out the boom of the 108
professions surveyed were automotive
mechanic, boilermaker (the job, not
Purdue University grads) and welder.
View the full list at wallethub.com/
edu/best-entry-level-jobs/3716.
Best jobs for ’23 grads? Engineer a guess
WalletHub rankings place IE, systems engineers in top 20
18 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
the frontlinethe front line
Picture the “Star Wars” alien bar scene with a dierent twist: In-
stead of otherworldly creatures chaing in dierent tongues in a
rough-and-tumble cantina, picture 3D-printed robotic heads con-
versing at a cocktail party without humans – or any other carbon-
based creatures.
is is the project presented by a group of researchers from
the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. e team from the
Augmented Listening Laboratory created the talking (and listen-
ing) heads to analyze how humans receive sound and develop au-
dio technology. It recently presented the ndings during the Meet-
ing of the Acoustical Society of America May 8-12.
e idea is to create algorithms to improve human hearing
based on the head’s acoustic properties. Hearing aids, for instance,
adjust the sound received by each ear to mimic a realistic listen-
ing experience. To create such an adjustment, the algorithm must
determine the dierent arrival time of sounds at each ear and their
amplitude.
us, to create an environment that reects real life, the re-
search team placed its talking head robots in a cocktail party set-
ting where multiple conversations are ongoing.
“Simulating realistic scenarios for conversation enhancement
oen requires hours of recording with human subjects. e entire
process can be exhausting for the subjects, and it is extremely hard
for a subject to remain perfectly still in between and during record-
ings, which aects the measured acoustic pressures,” said Austin
Lu, a student member of the team. “Acoustic head simulators can
overcome both drawbacks. ey can be used to create large data
sets with continuous recording and are guaranteed to remain still.”
e researchers are able to control the robots to simulate neck
movements in order to adjust their parameters and facilitate mo-
tion. e heads themselves were created by 3D-printing, then as-
sembled at low cost. e ears were ed with microphones with
parts that simulated both human hearing and Bluetooth ear re-
ceivers. e sounds were created by a mouthlike loudspeaker that
closely mimics human vocals.
“Our acoustic head project is the culmination of the work done
by many students with highly varied technical backgrounds,” said
Manan Mial, a graduate researcher with the team. “Projects like
this are due to interdisciplinary research that requires engineers to
work with designers.”
A chatty cocktail soiree minus booze – and bodies
Project tests human hearing by using 3D-printed robot heads
Human simulators that talk and listen to each other facilitate research on the head’s acoustic properties for better-designed audio devices.
The head simulators are 3D-printed into components and assembled, enabling customization at low cost.
