KEMAR

KEMAR, the Knowles Electronics Manikin for Acoustic Research, is a head-and-torso acoustic simulator used to measure how sound interacts with an approximately human-sized listening geometry. Its external ears, ear-canal system and acoustic loads make it more informative for many hearing-device tests than a microphone placed alone in free space. The manufacturer's description specifies representative adult dimensions and ear-simulation properties. ^[ref]

An original manikin paper by M. D. Burkhard and R. M. Sachs appeared in 1975. Later studies used KEMAR to investigate device coupling as well as the surrounding sound field.^[ref]

For example, Abhijit Kulkarni and H. Steven Colburn repeatedly placed headphone cushions on a KEMAR and measured the resulting headphone transfer function. Repositioning changed the response, complicating compensation by a single fixed inverse filter. The experiment demonstrates that the ear–device interface is part of the acoustic system, rather than an incidental mounting detail.^[ref]

An invented measurement comparison makes the meaning concrete. If the same electrical drive produces pressures of 0.020 and 0.010 pascal at one measurement frequency in two fittings, their sound pressure levels differ by $20{\log }_{10}2\approx 6.02$ decibels. This is a fit-dependent response difference at a specified point, not an automatic judgment of perceived loudness or device quality.

A standardized manikin supports reproducible comparisons but does not reproduce every listener's ear geometry, physiology or perception. Conclusions should specify the simulator configuration and measurement conditions.