Gaussian Splats, a gateway to better hearing

 

Wireframe and render of a fine art model done in 1982, was created by yours truly on Phil Mittleman's SynthVision Modeler, the first true 3D mainframe terminal. Why the image? Because this CSG/Constructive Solid Geometry technology directly relates to Gaussian Splats in deep fashion if one takes the time to look.

Question, what is a Gaussian Splat?

Gaussian splatting is a volume rendering technique that deals with the direct rendering of volume data without converting the data into surface or line primitives.[1] The technique was originally introduced as splatting by Lee Westover in the early 1990s.[2][3]

In other words, a voxel.

In computing, a voxel is a representation of a value on a three-dimensional regular grid, akin to the two-dimensional pixel. Voxels are frequently used in the visualization and analysis of medical and scientific data (e.g. geographic information systems (G.I.S.)).[1] Voxels also have technical and artistic applications in video games, i.e. Minecraft (2011) makes use of an entirely voxelated world to allow for a fully destructible and constructable environment.[2] 

Splats are point clouds

Illustration of a voxel grid containing color values

Splats capture the external geometry of objects in near realtime as seen by the video below.

Applications ... it goes beyond just imagery. :)

Yours truly has a cochlear implant so this take is personal ...

Acoustic Splats and the DSP Hum: Rendering Sound in the Inner Ear

The physical hardware inside a modern cochlear implant is a marvel of biological engineering. Below the DSP (Digital Signal Processing) threshold, the physical implant's superb. But cross the threshold and the software reveals its brittle, brute-force nature. You don't just get clean audio; you get a parasitic hum working in concert with the
perceived sound.

Why? Because traditional DSP software treats a 3D fluid-filled biological spiral like a cheap 2D speaker.
It forces a rigid, linear grid of frequencies into an organic chamber and the hum is the sound of an algorithm fighting the natural environment.

This is where the tech industry's sudden leap into 3D Gaussian splatting crosses the sensory boundary. Visually, a Gaussian splat isn't a rigid polygon or a straight-line grid. It is a continuous, mathematically defined volume of energy that radiates outward—geometry built from the inside out. In essence, a point cloud operating in real time.

If we take that exact volumetric engine and apply it to audio, the paradigm flips. Instead of blasting a flat frequency wave, the software would generate volumetric acoustic splats. The implant ceases to be a dumb speaker and becomes a spatial router. It calculates the exact geometric topology of the patient's inner ear and renders the acoustic energy spatially to fit the container. The harmonic hum disappears because the sound is no longer fighting the physical geometry; it is flowing into it, perfectly intersected. We just need to stop forcing straight lines into spaces where energy naturally radiates from within. The 22 channel ribbon in the cochlear connect to an external sound processor is astounding. The code is not.

Talking CSG, Medical & Splats

Again ... a voxel is a representation of a value on a three-dimensional regular grid, akin to the two-dimensional pixel. Voxels are frequently used in the visualization and analysis of medical and scientific data (e.g. geographic information systems (G.I.S.)).[1] 

In medical, They comprise the core component of MRI slices where the in-between connection of neighboring slices, aka lofting, are voxels connecting identical coordinates keyed to the two adjacent slices. Seen below is a video showing a journey through a set of slices made possible by voxels connecting the 3D coordinates of each slice as needs warrant.

Which means real data can be incorporated into splats, as per medical, when the splat in question contains the point cloud appropriate for the data to be integrated in. CSG/B-Rep is the tech capable of doing the insertion as the models contained in the tech are real 3D entities, not 2D polygons.

The boundaries are defined by lines, conics, polylines, surface curves, or b spline curves.

Taking this to the extreme means the transporter becomes viable as 3D can now be directly extracted
from imagery and video and transported to remote locations as needs warrant.

Something to think about don't you think?