[Nyabs] : Israeli Scientists Develop “Star Trek” VISOR that Enables the Blind to See Israeli Scientists Develop “Star Trek” VISOR that Enables the Blind to See

[Kathryn Carroll]

What do you all think of this?

-Kate



http://inhabitat.com/israeli-scientists-develop-star-trek-visor-that-enables-the-blind-to-see/#more-352875 



  Israeli Scientists Develop “Star Trek” VISOR that Enables the Blind to See

by Timon Singh <http://inhabitat.com/author/timon/>, 02/13/12
filed under: green technology <http://inhabitat.com/green-technology/>, 
News <http://inhabitat.com/news-2/>, Wearable Technology 
<http://inhabitat.com/wearable-technology-2/>

l

Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Sensory 
Substitution Device, Sensory Substitution Device blind people, Sensory 
Substitution Device visor, Sensory Substitution Device hebrew 
university, Sensory Substitution Device amedi, amedi visor, visor blind 
people, Sensory Substitution Device blind cortex, Sensory Substitution 
Device visual cortex, Sensory Substitution Device israel, Sensory 
Substitution Device VISOR

In /Star Trek: The Next Generation 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation>/, the 
Enterprise’s Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge was blind but was able to 
see with the aid of a VISOR (*V*isual *I*nstrument and *S*ensory *O*rgan 
*R*eplacement) <http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/VISOR>. Now a team led 
by Dr. Amir Amedi at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem 
<http://media.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl> has 
developed a similar device called the Sensory Substitution Device 
<http://media.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl> that 
‘hacks’ into the visual cortex of blind people and allows them to 
identify objects.


Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Sensory 
Substitution Device, Sensory Substitution Device blind people, Sensory 
Substitution Device visor, Sensory Substitution Device hebrew 
university, Sensory Substitution Device amedi, amedi visor, visor blind 
people, Sensory Substitution Device blind cortex, Sensory Substitution 
Device visual cortex, Sensory Substitution Device israel, Sensory 
Substitution Device VISOR

The Sensory Substitution Device 
<http://media.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl> uses a 
camera to gather visual data and then translates it into sound using a 
complex algorithm. This sound is then passed on to the user so that they 
can use the assorted noises to identify complex objects and even read 
sentences.

The invention is said to be relatively easy to use – many people are 
capable of identifying objects after a “brief period of training”. It is 
hoped that after an extended time, users will be able to learn how to 
interpret a large stream of information from the algorithm’s soundscape.

Perhaps the most intriguing part is that the sounds activate the 
otherwise dormant visual cortices of congenitally blind people. 
According to people who are much smarter than I am 
<http://www.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl?mesge132914604305872560>, 
our visual cortex organizes data into two parallel pathways – the 
ventral occipito-temporal pathway (which deals with form, identity, and 
color) and the dorsal occipito-parietal pathway (which focuses on object 
location and coordinates visual data with motor function).

MRI scans showed that blind people using the sensory device saw these 
previously dormat pathways acting as they would if they had had normal 
vision. For the blind population of the world, this next generation 
technology could soon see massive benefits.

+ Hebrew University 
<http://media.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl>

Via io9 
<http://io9.com/5883753/new-device-hacks-into-blind-peoples-visual-cortex-to-let-them-see>

/Lead image courtesy of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem 
<http://media.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl>/






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Avi Golden

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