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Can humans 'see' using echolocation ?

Posted on Saturday, 3 August, 2013 | Comment icon

16 comments

Image credit: sxc.hu

A team of researchers has developed an echolocation system that could enable a person to see using sound.

In the natural world echolocation is used by animals such as bats and dolphins as a way to locate and identify objects around them. Researcher Ivan Dokmanic and his team in Switzerland have been putting this idea to use in a computer-based echolocation system in the hope of using sound to 'see' the layout of a room. The setup uses a series of microphones and a computer that can pick up any sounds and then determine from that what the shape of the room is.

Dokmanic and his team hope that the technology could eventually be used by blind people to help them pick up more information about their surroundings. "I hope not too long - but the realistic horizon is two years to get something that's really usable by everyone," he said.

"Birds do it. Bats do it."

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Source: NPR

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Recent comments on this story

#7 Posted by Elfin on 3 August, 2013, 12:43

ah. ok. it's easy enough for a blind person to "see" inside their own homes, they build very sophisticated mental maps in their minds of where everything is, but a sighted person trying to move around their house in the dark will spend most of their time bumping into stuff and cursing the gods! the guy in question wasn't blind from birth, but developed blindness, and downhill racing was a passion of his. when he was no longer able to continue, this naturally depressed him until a team of scientists came up with the system (it was very rudimentary- it fitted onto a pair of glasses and sent out ... [More]

#8 Posted by Rolci on 3 August, 2013, 12:57

Tech is not necessary if you're used to doing it. Quite correct. For those that are not aware, there are people who use echolocation at a masterful level in their everyday lives for orientation and judging the position of nearby and even remote objects. Anyone can learn it. Like "the boy who sees without eyes" on Extraordinary People. Nothing new to see here people, it's all been done before.

#9 Posted by shrooma on 3 August, 2013, 13:07

Sounds like a really good development then. . if it improves the quality of life for the blind, it can only be a good thing! . It works by clicking the tongue. It's possible to get an idea of one's surroundings up to about 10 metres. . with the ears & throat being connected, wouldn't clicking the fingers work better? it might negate the possibility of masking/feedback and make the system a little more sensitive....?

#10 Posted by Elfin on 3 August, 2013, 14:28

. with the ears & throat being connected, wouldn't clicking the fingers work better? it might negate the possibility of masking/feedback and make the system a little more sensitive....? No the tongue definitely works best.

#11 Posted by Mbyte on 3 August, 2013, 17:39

We can do this already!! We don't need technology to do it for us. Three blind people have learned to do this already. My theory is that we have to be aware that we can do it and then activly practice trying to do it. Then eventually the unconscious parts of our mind will eventually notice the reacurring patterns in sound and will develop a type of mapping. I've seriously considered trying to do it and blog about it

#12 Posted by Elfin on 3 August, 2013, 18:07

#13 Posted by Mbyte on 5 August, 2013, 4:23

Not just three. Almost everyone who is born blind does this. It is something that comes naturally. Well maybe so but obviously science doesn't know this because we wouldn't be developing technology to do this for us then

#14 Posted by SkepticalB on 5 August, 2013, 4:35

Or the technology is being developed for people who weren't born blind but become blind later. Or it makes the ecco location sharper

#15 Posted by Elfin on 5 August, 2013, 7:39

Or the technology is being developed for people who weren't born blind but become blind later. Or it makes the ecco location sharper Yes, that's exactly right.

#16 Posted by Wickian on 5 August, 2013, 9:05

I remember watching a documentary about blind people riding bikes and such by using echolocation. I can't remember the details, but they mainly used hand-held clickers so they wouldn't have to occupy their mouths and could tell if they were near an object or not. With a bit of familiarity with the area and common sense they could identify trees, walls, bushes, people and such. It's probably some genetic remnant our bodies have kept just in case we ever need to use it again.

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