Acoustic location  

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Acoustic location is the use of sound to determine the distance and direction of its source or reflector. Location can be done actively or passively, and can take place in gases (such as the atmosphere), liquids (such as water), and in solids (such as in the earth).

• Active acoustic location involves the creation of sound in order to produce an echo, which is then analyzed to determine the location of the object in question.
• Passive acoustic location involves the detection of sound or vibration created by the object being detected, which is then analyzed to determine the location of the object in question.

Both of these techniques, when used in water, are known as sonar; passive sonar and active sonar are both widely used.

Acoustic mirrors and dishes, when using microphones, are a means of passive acoustic localization, but when using speakers are a means of active localization. Typically, more than one device is used, and the location is then triangulated between the several devices.

See also

• 3D sound reconstruction
• Sound localization
• Boomerang
• Multilateration
• Acoustic mirror
• Acoustic wayfinding, the practice of using auditory cues and sound markers to navigate indoor and outdoor spaces
• Animal echolocation, animals emitting sound and listening to the echo in order to locate objects or navigate
• Echo sounding, listening to the echo of sound pulses to measure the distance to the bottom of the sea, a special case of sonar
• Gunfire locator
• Human echolocation, the use of echolocation by blind people
• Medical ultrasonography, the use of ultrasound echoes to look inside the body
• Sensory substitution