Imagine: Google street view with sound

Google Street View has given us incredible virtual tours around the world. But like I said: there is something missing. Sound! Sounds have an enormous impact and bring our world to life. So Google Street View is great but it would be fantastic if sound was added.

A new concept could add this dimension to Google Street View. Hearing aid company Amplifon has created Sounds of Street View. This is a digital exploratory sound experiment which enables you to hear 3-D audio of whatever environment you’re viewing on Google Street View. To create this experience Amplifon uses the Web Audio API.

The sound you experience is 3-D. This means that it recreates the way the human ear processes sound. So you hear sound from the direction it is coming. Sounds behind you are passed through a filter to sound like they’re coming from behind; sounds from the right play primarily in the right speaker; and for the left the same story. Sounds shift according to your movements. To add sound to Google Street View the views and places you visit really come to life.

Watch and listen in the video below. You can also check a live demo.

Image: Google Street View