The ObserverBlindness and visual impairment
This article is more than 7 years old
vOICe: the soundscape headsets that allow blind people to ‘see’ the world
This article is more than 7 years old
Technology scans the environment and translates images into whistles and bleeps users can understand
The vOICe equipment is demonstrated by one user. Photograph: Nic Delves-Broughton/University of Bath
The vOICe equipment is demonstrated by one user. Photograph: Nic Delves-Broughton/University of Bath
Jamie Doward
Sat 6 Dec 2014 19.04 EST
Last modified on Sat 2 Dec 2017 01.23 EST
Using sound to help blind people to create images in their heads can prove more effective in enabling them to perform everyday activities, such as picking up a cup or even reading, than invasive surgical operations, according to groundbreaking new research.
A joint project involving a team of psychologists and computer scientists at the University of Bath is assessing how the brain can use sensory substitution to help blind and partially sighted people to “see”.
The team has been testing a technology called The vOICe – the three middle letters standing for “oh I see”. It was developed by Dr Peter Meijer, a scientist at Philips Research Laboratories in the Netherlands. It [...]