Apple investigating ways to provide ‘spatial audio navigation’ to various device — Apple World Today

Alternatively, to guide a user on a path while he or she is listening to music, the apparent source of the music may be audibly placed in front of the user to guide the user along the path, and moved to the side of the user to prompt the user to make a turn on the path. This way the music isn’t interrupted. The same can be done with other audio sources including but not limited to audio books, telephone conversations, simulated or captured ambient noise, simulated sounds such as tones, bells, sirens, or white noise, or recorded sounds such as the sound of a railroad train or a pack of wolves. (No, really, Apple mentions “a pack of wolves.”

The patent filing also describes several different spatial audio navigation methods to direct a user when following a path using spatial audio-based cues. 

Here’s the summary of the invention: “Methods and apparatus for spatial audio navigation that may, for example, be implemented by mobile multipurpose devices. A spatial audio navigation system provides navigational information in audio form to direct users to target locations. The system uses directionality of audio played through a binaural audio device to provide navigational cues to the user. 

“A current location, target location, and map information may be input to pathfinding algorithms to determine a real world path between the user’s current location and the target location. The system may then use directional audio played through a headset to guide the user on the path from the current location to the target location. The system may implement one or more of several different spatial audio navigation methods to direct a user when following a path using spatial audio-based cues.”