Listening Experiment for Electric Motorcycle Sounds

[UoS_Alex]

Hi All,

We at The University of Salford are conducting an experiment which is part of a project all about the design of algorithms that create electric motorcycle sounds, and we could do with some volunteers!

What is the purpose of this study?
The study is part of a project exploring and evaluating the design of algorithms which synthesise alert sounds for electric motorcycles. Traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) motorcycles are commonly loud, with a distinctive sonic character. However, electric vehicles can be significantly quieter. As such, we are investigating the design of synthetic sounds for electric motorcycles for both safety and aesthetic purposes.

Who is running the study?
The study is run by researchers from the University of Salford in the UK, in collaboration with a commercial partner.

What will happen to me if I take part?
You will be asked to complete an online survey using the link provided at the bottom of this post. You will have the right to withdraw at any time or ask for your data to be deleted for any reason.
If you choose to take part online, you will be asked to complete the survey at your convenience. However, we ask that you use headphones to audition the sounds and to take care to make sure that the sound levels are comfortable.
In this phase of the study you will be presented with the sound of an ICE vehicle. This sound may be a recording of a real vehicle or may be a simulation of an ICE.
After listening to each audio sample, you will be presented with a list of 7 scales with opposite words at extremes of the scale (e.g. “fast” and “slow”) and asked to rate the sound on each of the scales. You will be able to listen to each of the sounds as many times as you need.

What are the eligibility criteria?
Participants must be at least 18 years old.

What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?
This study has been reviewed and granted approval by an ethics panel at the University of Salford.
There are no consequences for you if you decide not to take part, or later choose to withdraw your responses. You do not need to give a reason for non-participation or withdrawal.

What are the possible benefits of taking part?
The findings from this study will help us better understand how people respond to different types of engine sounds. This will help us develop acoustic alert sounds for electric motorcycles, which will likely be beneficial for pedestrian safety and to improve the soundscapes of the future.

Will my data be stored securely?
The collected data will be stored only on secure servers provided by the data collection service (Gorilla) and on password-protected university asset computers and University of Salford IT network. We will not collect any identifying characteristics such as name or address and all your responses will be anonymous. Because of this, once you have submitted all of your responses, we will not be able to identify you and withdrawing your data will not be possible.
Anonymised data will be kept as long as considered necessary by the research team to support further analysis and publication; it may also be used in future projects.

What will happen to the study results?
The findings from this study will be used to inform future research and product development related to this topic. The results will be written up in an internal report, will be shared with project stakeholders, and may be published in conference papers or academic journals. Any information made available in this way will be strictly anonymous i.e. we will never publish anything that could identify a response as coming from you personally or show that you have taken part in this study.

If this sounds good to you, a link to join the online experiment is here https://research.sc/participant/login/dynamic/949CEEAA-BAF9-4DF8-B7F8-74FE15146AA6

Thanks!

[Ste]

Your survey is badly written and you should feel bad.

It has far too many sound clips with too many scales to rate each sound meaning that the whole thing takes much too long.

[A100man]

yep that's some ordeal.. and no 'you will be entered into a prize draw for Amazon vouchers' either
____________________
Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[WD Forte]

Why ask people who ride bikes?
I'd say it's pedestrians who are most likely to get whacked by an electric bike.
Residents and Joe public too who have to listen to them chirping/whatever in a non binary/non confrontational/transginger eco friendly way all day long.
Burn them, burn them all...
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bikers smell of wee