{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/phone-microphone--family-space","type":"mechanic","id":"phone-microphone--family-space","lang":"en","title":"Position and multiple microphones","summary":"Acoustic signals can help locate a source or obstacle. Phone movement and additional channels can expand the observations.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-microphone--family-space/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-microphone--family-space.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-microphone--family-space.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Phone microphone interactions","Mechanics catalog"],"sourceIds":["source-1832ac5904392e64","source-8e91d420272de1ac","source-2a4797d398583c78"],"sources":[{"id":"source-1832ac5904392e64","title":"Android AudioRecord: active microphones","url":"https://developer.android.com/reference/android/media/AudioRecord#getActiveMicrophones()","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-8e91d420272de1ac","title":"Apple QA1799: microphone selection","url":"https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/qa/qa1799/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-2a4797d398583c78","title":"phyphox","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebj3v701HE0&t=185s","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Physical direction and distance require suitable channels or a controlled procedure. A regular mono signal does not guarantee them."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-space-variants\"></a>\n\n- Source side. Signal: Time and level difference between channels. Application: Select left or right target with real sound. Access level: D. <a id=\"variant-mic-097\"></a>\n- Source direction. Signal: Angle estimation from microphone array. Application: Use your phone as an acoustic compass. Access level: R. <a id=\"variant-mic-098\"></a>\n- Approaching and moving away. Signal: Changes in a known source signal. Application: Move the phone to the lighthouse in the game \"hot and cold\". Access level: D. <a id=\"variant-mic-099\"></a>\n- Direction through scanning. Signal: Changes when the phone is rotated and IMU data. Application: Rotate the phone to search for the most distinguishable signal. Access level: D. <a id=\"variant-mic-100\"></a>\n- Selects front or rear input. Signal: Supported sources and charts. Application: Switch the game “receiver” between the sides of the device. Access level: D. <a id=\"variant-mic-101\"></a>\n- Focus on the source. Signal: Directional processing of available channels. Application: Select one of the pre-placed sound beacons. Access level: R. <a id=\"variant-mic-102\"></a>\n- Source trajectory. Signal: Change of inter-channel features over time. Application: Move a sounding object around the phone as a game gesture. Access level: R. <a id=\"variant-mic-103\"></a>\n- Room response. Signal: Reflection of the control pulse. Application: Compare gaming room acoustic profiles after calibration. Access level: R. <a id=\"variant-mic-104\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Author's design map for mobile games and interactive applications. 144 techniques in 18 groups, including basic signals, rules and combinations. Applications are design ideas and not a list of released games."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"phone-microphone","id":"family-space","title":"Phone microphone interactions","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/phone-microphone/#family-space","categoryIds":["section-1"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Position and multiple microphones","description":"Acoustic signals can help locate a source or obstacle. Phone movement and additional channels can expand the observations.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/sensor-phyphox-sonar-185.webp","width":1280,"height":720,"game":"phyphox","sourceUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebj3v701HE0&t=185s","originalUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebj3v701HE0","sourceFrameSeconds":185,"credit":"RWTH Aachen University / phyphox","rights":"© RWTH Aachen University / phyphox. Frame from the developers’ sonar demonstration. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"phyphox Sonar: reflected signal on a distance scale","alt":"phyphox Sonar: reflected signal on a distance scale","markers":[{"x":31,"y":47,"label":"The echo peak is mapped to distance in centimeters"}]},"tips":["A single stationary microphone without a model does not reliably provide a full 3D direction."],"examples":[{"title":"phyphox","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebj3v701HE0&t=185s"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/phone-microphone"}}