[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
carroll.kathryn.e at gmail.com
Tue Jun 26 03:50:18 UTC 2012
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>/
------------------------------------------------
agolden at pobox.com <mailto:agolden at pobox.com>
Avi Golden
137-29 70th Road
Flushing, NY 11367
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