Assessing the Effectiveness of Head and Torso Simulators (HATS) in Representing Anthropometric Diversity for Inclusive Audio Systems

Pillay A, Genovese AF, Tung A, Kim C, Munoz I, Davis G. Assessing the Effectiveness of Head and Torso Simulators (HATS) in Representing Anthropometric Diversity for Inclusive Audio Systems. In: 2025 Breaking Barriers in Audio. Audio Engineering Society; 2025. Paper 5. Available from: https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22828

@inproceedings{Pillay2025_22828,
  author = {Pillay, Ashwin and Genovese, Andrea Felice and Tung, Alex and Kim, Chungeun and Munoz, Isaac and Davis, Graham},
  title = {{Assessing the Effectiveness of Head and Torso Simulators (HATS) in Representing Anthropometric Diversity for Inclusive Audio Systems}},
  booktitle = {2025 Breaking Barriers in Audio},
  note = {Paper 5},
  year = {2025},
  month = mar,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  url = {https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22828}
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Assessing the Effectiveness of Head and Torso Simulators (HATS) in Representing Anthropometric Diversity for Inclusive Audio Systems
AU  - Pillay, Ashwin
AU  - Genovese, Andrea Felice
AU  - Tung, Alex
AU  - Kim, Chungeun
AU  - Munoz, Isaac
AU  - Davis, Graham
T2  - 2025 Breaking Barriers in Audio
M1  - Paper 5
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/03/27
UR  - https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22828
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - In the technology industry, Head and Torso Simulators (HATS) models are widely used to develop and assess audio related hardware and software products. These models consist of an anthropomorphic mannequin simulating a human figure fitted with artificial outer ears, over which acoustics measurements can be executed. This study explores the origin and capabilities of popular HATS models to accurately represent human anthropometric diversity, identifying their potential biases due to limited sample populations. By reviewing existing literature on human measurements, the paper also compares the ear dimension variations among different demographic groups relating to ethnicity, age and sex against the standardized HATS dimensions. The findings suggest that future research should focus on expanding reference datasets and developing more inclusive evaluation frameworks, to ensure consistent audio performance across diverse groups.
ER  -