Method of providing to user 3d sound in virtual environment

A method of using three-dimensional (3D) sound for navigating a user in a physical space, the method comprising:

• determining, with a processor, a position of a remote target to which the user is to be oriented in the physical space;
• determining, with the processor, a position of the user in the physical space;
• determining, with the processor, an orientation of the user relative to the remote target in the physical space;
• establishing, with the processor, a correspondence of the position and the orientation of the user relative to the remote target in the physical space and a position and orientation of the user relative to the remote target in a virtual model of the physical space;
• determining, with the processor, a line connecting the position of the user and the position of the remote target in the virtual model of the physical space;
• determining, with the processor, a location of a virtual sound beacon along the determined line at a distance from the position of the user in the virtual model of the physical space;
• calculating, with the processor, respective sound volume levels to be supplied from the virtual sound beacon to each of the user's ears by applying a Head-Related Transfer Function (HRFT) based at least in part on the position and orientation of the user in the virtual model of the physical space, wherein a calculated sound volume level to be supplied to a left ear differs from a calculated sound volume level to be supplied to a right ear when the user is not oriented to the virtual sound beacon in the virtual model of the physical space;
• and
• providing, with the processor, sound at the respective determined sound volume levels to each of the user's ears to enable the user, through use of binaural hearing, to rotate towards the virtual sound beacon in the virtual model of the physical space until the respective sound volume levels supplied to each of the user's ears equalize indicating that the user is oriented to the remote target in the physical space.