Framework of distributed audition

We propose distributed audition for natural man-machine interface, for robots that act in the environment, and for continuous personal identification. The distributed audition system, consisting of a network of microphones and speakers, monitors the environment, maintains the environment models, and provide information to agents in the environment. The distributed audition system can calibrate locations and parameters in self-organizing manner by producing sounds and observing them. Concepts and fundamental problems of distributed audition are discussed. This work also provides a prototype system and an experimental result of auto calibration.