[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6724\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHow soundscapes and vibrations are helping blind people see the world\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to the World Health Organization, there are about \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.who.int\/mediacentre\/factsheets\/fs282\/en\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E285 million\u003C\/a\u003E visually impaired people around the world, of whom 39 million are blind. Advances in technology and medical science may never restore perfect sight to the millions with very poor vision or unable to see at all.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut a wearable gadget resembling glasses uses cameras and a compact processing unit to create 3D images on the fly and feeds the information back to the wearer as intuitive soundscapes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The cameras produce a three-dimensional picture of the surroundings in real time and the system translates this into sound, something like the sound of the sea, which the user learns to interpret to navigate their environment,\u2019 said Antonio Quesada, chief executive of Eyesynth, based in Castellon, Spain.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe specially developed headset, developed with the support of EU funding, constructs \u2018audio pictures\u2019 of the wearer\u2019s surroundings with the aim of improving everyday interactions and increasing the independence of blind people and those with very poor vision.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECrucially, it was designed with style in mind. Using carefully designed eyewear, discreet cameras, and a processor about the size of a mobile phone, Eyesynth aims to overcome users\u2019 resistance to ungainly or unattractive medical equipment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We aimed to make the system as beautiful as possible, so it can be stylish, and more than just a gadget,\u2019 Quesada said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018The cameras produce a three-dimensional picture of the surroundings in real time and the system translates this into sound, something like the sound of the sea, which the user learns to interpret to navigate their environment.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EAntonio Quesada, Chief Executive, Eyesynth\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENeural scanning\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENeural scanning shows that even when only abstract sounds are used, the brain engages the visual cortex to build up an audio image.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy learning the audio language, users can make their way around obstacles or identify and grasp nearby items, such as a water bottle on a restaurant table. \u2018By learning to understand the subtle variations in the sounds, the user can identify straight lines, or rounder shapes,\u2019 Quesada said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the special features of Eyesynth is that the audio signals are not transmitted through the outer ear, but conducted through bones on the side of the head allowing the user to hear what is going on around them. This method also provides benefits for people with poor hearing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsers learn Eyesynth\u0027s\u0026nbsp;audio language in a familiar environment, so they rapidly get used to understanding the sounds associated with known shapes and positions. And after a week of training, blind testers are able to distinguish small objects on a table.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Since the use of the white cane and guide dog, there hasnt been a technological mobility solution for the blind and visually impaired,\u2019 Quesada said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEyesynth has already been patented in Spain and Quesada expects the product to be on the market next year, with the team in the process of closing distribution agreements with two leading eyewear chains in Spain.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe system is also being further developed to recognise faces, read text and identify colours.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVibrating belt\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Iceland, researchers are also using 3D-camera systems to create a picture for blind people but they\u2019re complementing it with a vibrating belt that uses the sense of touch, also known as haptics, to produce a novel form of visualisation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe latest prototype belt in the EU-funded Sound of Vision project fits around the user\u2019s mid-section and uses a matrix of motors that vibrate gently against the stomach. This provides an alternative, tactile way to represent the scene picked up by headset cameras.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProject coordinator Runar Unnthorsson, professor of industrial engineering at the University of Iceland, said the belt could make a simple shadow-like representation of the object being viewed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If there is a lamppost in front of you, for example, as you rotate, you would feel the centre column moving along the belt,\u2019 Prof. Unnthorsson said. \u2018In a way you could think of it as a low-resolution vibrating image.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe belt offers wide scope for conveying information and images to the user. It could even produce animations by switching neighbouring motors on and off in sequence to create a sensation of movement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018In this way, we can make the user feel like someone is drawing on their stomach,\u2019 Prof. Unnthorsson said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Sound of Vision system is able to scan and read text, helping people to read signs in challenging situations such as airports, and can identify the best path through a series of indoor or outdoor obstacles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDanger mode\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Unnthorsson said they tested several ways of converting visual information into useful audio via the 3D cameras.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe latest prototype uses sounds simulating a stream of bubbles in water. A large object, for example, is represented by more bubbles, and a high object by lighter bubbles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe system also has a danger mode to warn people if there are hazards such as stairs going down or a missing utility cover on the pavement in front of them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The system is highly customisable, so users can switch between different audio modes, or tactile modes and even change parameters, such as the number of objects represented,\u2019 Prof. Unnthorsson said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the prototype currently uses a laptop in a backpack for image processing, the ambition is to bring a smaller system to go onto the market next year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bit.ly\/newsalertsignup\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg class src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/news-alert-final.jpg\u0022 alt width=\u0022983\u0022 height=\u0022222\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-kry-vifaza-rjfj8ragjibhwenaeqkqhvzl9jqlng9e\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-KrY-VifAZA-rJFJ8raGJIBHWeNAEqkQHVZl9jQLng9E\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]