In the virtual barber illusion, the brain’s interpretation of auditory stimuli allows for one to have the sense that they are located in a barber shop. The user can distinguish if the barber is behind them or in front of them, whispering or talking normal, and much more. This experience can be explained scientifically with the explanation of a few concepts.
Binaural recording and hearing is very important in this illusion because the location of your two ears help to distinguish different aspects of the sounds. Because the ears are located on each side of your head, sounds in real life can be distinguished and their position in regards to direction and distance can be determined. Direction is determined by the timing, volume, and frequency
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Interaural time difference is a concept that drives the localization of sound. This simple concept suggests that a sound wave first arrives at the ear that it is closest too. For example, if something is coming from the left side, the sound wave will arrive at the left ear before it reaches the right. One example of this was when he whispered in our ear. This sound was strong and sensed at a much greater extent on our left side. Also, we could sense that the razor or clippers were moving across our head as the sound changed and progressed from right to left. Our ears were sensing the sound from one side of the ear milliseconds before the other ear and the sound was moving over time. Head-related transfer function describes how these waves of sound are transformed from the source of the sound to our ear. Examples of these transformations include diffraction and reflections. Reflection of sound is determined by dissimilarity between media, explaining why concert hall walls are made of fiberglass or acoustic tile instead of concrete. Diffraction of sound waves occur when they waves must change direction because of objects in their way. Through these ideas, we are able to orient ourselves and sound we hear in space. Volume also plays a role in determining