Seeing the shape of a room is not difficult for most people. Using a combination of stereo vision and parallax as we move around the room, we can resolve the position and angle of walls to determine the size and shape of the room we are in. However, suppose now that you are blind, or in a windowless room with no lights. It is still possible to get a sense of the size of the room by using sound. Clap your hands and the echoes will typically tell you if you are in a small office, a mediumsized classroom, or a large concert hall. However, is it possible to tell the shape of a room using sound alone? This is the question addressed by Dokmani? et al. (1) in PNAS.
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