Post by rabia373 on Mar 12, 2024 8:44:45 GMT
Electronic device emits sounds to locate obstacles and transmits sound signals that guide the route The creation of an assistive device to aid the movement of visually impaired people through sound signals is the objective of the SoundSee project , developed at the Institute of Mathematical and Computing Sciences (ICMC) at USP, in São Carlos. The researchers produced a portable device that emits sounds into the environment to calculate the position of nearby obstacles. Once the obstacle is identified, the device transmits sound signals that guide the visually impaired person. The equipment prototype will be subjected to testing to enable its large-scale use and the research results will be made freely available. “For a long time, people without vision have used auxiliary mechanisms, such as canes, to detect obstacles”, says Francisco José Mônaco, professor at ICMC and research coordinator. “The SoundSee system has the same function, but uses more sophisticated methods, capable of locating these obstacles from a distance or perceiving their movements.” The researchers created a portable device, the size of a cell phone, that can be carried in your pocket.
The system is based on the echolocation mechanism, the same one used by some animals, such as bats, which emit sounds and listen to the echo produced by obstacles to guide themselves”, explains the professor. “ SoundSee reproduces this principle artificially, through ultrasound emitters and sensors and with the help of software that calculates the position of obstacles and generates three-dimen Whatsapp Number List sional sounds that help the user detect their presence.” The system receives the distance measurements obtained by each of the coupled sensors. “Within the software, a set of algorithms processes this information and calculates the distance and direction of obstacles”, says Mônaco. “A second set of algorithms is used to generate three-dimensional virtual audio sources, which are sounds that allow the user to locate themselves in specific positions in their surroundings.” Environment geometry According to the professor, the research involves researchers from the areas of computing, psychology and neurosciences. “To improve the system, studies are carried out on the functioning and possibilities of psychoacoustic spatial orientation, which is the ability of human beings to perceive the direction from which a given sound comes,” he notes.
For example, it is interesting to know how to create sounds that allow the user to feel the geometry of the environment and see how it is possible to provide a sensory substitution that, in a way, allows the visually impaired to “see” through sound”. The system began to be built in , and is currently in its third hardware version. “In this process, we reduced the dimensions and weight of the device, increased the autonomy to run on battery power for long periods and improved some parts to improve precision and processing speed”, reports Mônaco. “The last prototype was presented at the National Science and Technology Week in Brasília , in October ”. The intention of the team developing the work is to make all information about the project and experiments openly available, which is why they opted for the open source model. “This means that the research results will be available to everyone, without restrictions so that they can be improved and used to generate innovations”, highlights the professor. “We hope to reduce the cost for the end user and contribute to a greater scientific, technological and economic impact.
The system is based on the echolocation mechanism, the same one used by some animals, such as bats, which emit sounds and listen to the echo produced by obstacles to guide themselves”, explains the professor. “ SoundSee reproduces this principle artificially, through ultrasound emitters and sensors and with the help of software that calculates the position of obstacles and generates three-dimen Whatsapp Number List sional sounds that help the user detect their presence.” The system receives the distance measurements obtained by each of the coupled sensors. “Within the software, a set of algorithms processes this information and calculates the distance and direction of obstacles”, says Mônaco. “A second set of algorithms is used to generate three-dimensional virtual audio sources, which are sounds that allow the user to locate themselves in specific positions in their surroundings.” Environment geometry According to the professor, the research involves researchers from the areas of computing, psychology and neurosciences. “To improve the system, studies are carried out on the functioning and possibilities of psychoacoustic spatial orientation, which is the ability of human beings to perceive the direction from which a given sound comes,” he notes.
For example, it is interesting to know how to create sounds that allow the user to feel the geometry of the environment and see how it is possible to provide a sensory substitution that, in a way, allows the visually impaired to “see” through sound”. The system began to be built in , and is currently in its third hardware version. “In this process, we reduced the dimensions and weight of the device, increased the autonomy to run on battery power for long periods and improved some parts to improve precision and processing speed”, reports Mônaco. “The last prototype was presented at the National Science and Technology Week in Brasília , in October ”. The intention of the team developing the work is to make all information about the project and experiments openly available, which is why they opted for the open source model. “This means that the research results will be available to everyone, without restrictions so that they can be improved and used to generate innovations”, highlights the professor. “We hope to reduce the cost for the end user and contribute to a greater scientific, technological and economic impact.