Bone Conduction Headphones (BCHs) enable the harmonious fusion of real and mediated sound layers, enhancing the realism of virtual sound objects for Audio Augmented Reality (AAR) experiences. A small device attached to the temporal region of the skull sends the audio signal directly to the cochlea, bypassing the external and middle ear. Since the auditory canal is not obstructed, the headphones allow the blending of real and virtual sound layers, reducing our cognitive capacity to distinguish between the two elements. This interdisciplinary research/creation, combining acoustics, sound design, musical composition, and perception studies, introduces the history of bone conduction and its devices, exploring the latest experiences in this field. Use cases for AAR concert projects and museum visits with immersive audio will be presented, developed by Mezzo Forte, a company specialized in audio augmented reality.

Andrea Gozzi

Musician and musicologist, postdoctoral researcher in augmented audio reality at the Université de Montréal – Faculty of Music. Ph.D. in Musicology and Digital Humanities at the SAGAS department, University of Florence. Member of the Tempo Real, the research, production, and music education center founded by Luciano Berio in Florence. Co-founder of Mezzo Forte, a French company specialized in audio augmented reality. Andrea Gozzi is a professor of Sound Design at the LABA Academy in Florence and a lecturer in the history of rock and Sound Design at DAMS (University of Florence). As a musician, he has collaborated with Italian and international artists, both live and in the studio. He participated in events such as LIVE 8 in 2005 in Rome and performed in France, England, Germany, and Canada. He has published books and essays dedicated to the history of rock and musical biographies in Italy and Canada.