iEAR — Sampling an acoustic log for scientific research

iEAR is the last generation of the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR), invented by a Sibers’ Customer at the University of Texas at Austin. It is used in research programs for sampling behavioral data in naturalistic settings.

The iEAR system consists of an iOS application running on iPhone or iPod Touch and separate iEAR desktop software. This system allows researchers to create an acoustic log of their days by periodically and unobtrusively recording ambient sounds around the participants of the research study. During this experiment the participant is not able to see when the device is actually recording or not. The app then blocks all other functions of the i-device and keeps the screen locked, protected with a password.

Before the experiment a researcher indicates the necessary time intervals for sound recording during examination days, recording begin and end times, and the number of days for the particular experiment. After the sound files are collected, the data is transferred to a desktop computer either via wireless data transfer or via usb cable using the share-files-to-iTunes function. The sound files are time-stamped and the app also delivers a digital log with the information on the file names and recording times.

• Recording the sound in the background mode at a pre-set intervals of time;
• Preset blackout time;
• Stability tested (the application could work uninterruptedly for at least 7 days);
• Connection of an iPhone and computer wirelessly through Apple’s Bonjour protocol;
• Downloading the files from the i-device through the iEAR desktop app.