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Camera-to-Sound App Lets Blind People 'See'
Hebrew University of Jerusalem professor Amir Amedi.
Credit: www.theepochtimes.com
Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have developed a device that enables congenitally blind adults to interpret visual information from sound.
The system involves a tiny camera that is strapped to the user's head and connected to a computer or smartphone. An algorithm converts images to sound, providing a depiction of an object via headphones. The sound dips higher or lower to represent the surface of a shape, enabling a user to form a representation in their mind. The researchers found that although the users were not using their eyes, their visual cortex was activated by the soundscapes, showing that specialized areas responsible for object recognition or reading can still be triggered later in life even if they have never been exposed to normal visual information.
The researchers plan to improve the system by using music to represent colors, shapes, and locations.
From New Scientist
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