Science Day at the Faculty: Hands-On Research with Sound and Signals

Science Day took place in Kiel and at the Faculty of Engineering on 25 September 2026. The DSS group contributed two demonstrations that gave visitors an insight into current research on signal processing, underwater acoustics and speech signals.

The first demonstration, presented by Karo G. and Viktoriia, focused on the “Digital Ocean” and research using underwater sound. At the maritime test facility, visitors explored how signals are transmitted underwater and used in SONAR systems. The “Digital Ocean” is a simulated underwater environment in which SONAR data can be generated and processed into SONAR images using digital signal processing.

In real underwater environments, acoustic transducers send and receive signals. Such systems allow underwater nodes to communicate with one another and jointly cover an area. The demonstration illustrated the fundamentals of underwater signal transmission and showed how the transducers are characterised.

The second demonstration explored the human voice and how people can practise controlling their vocal volume. At a hands-on station, Karo H. showed how audio feedback can support voice-volume training. Participants first set a target volume. If their voice fell below that level, a sound cue changed with their current volume, prompting them to speak louder again.

Visitors tried different sounds and settings to see what worked best for them, then voted for their favourite cue. Measurements taken on site also showed how the human voice can be represented as a signal and broken down into measurable parameters. Visitors could see how vowels and consonants differ in their frequencies and other signal properties, and how these differences can be analysed.