- Title
- Using sound localization to gain depth perception for the visually impaired through sensory substitution
- Creator
- De Klerk, James Carmichael
- Subject
- People with visual disabilities Directional hearing--Physiological aspects
- Date Issued
- 2020
- Date
- 2020
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- MSc
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/50779
- Identifier
- vital:42674
- Description
- The visually impaired do not have the visual ability to localize objects in three-dimensional space, rather, they rely on their other senses to gain depth perception. Sensory substitution is the concept of substituting one sense for another, normally substituting an impaired sense with a functioning sense. Visual-to-auditory sensory substitution substitutes an impaired visual sense with a functioning auditory sense. This research aimed to investigate and develop techniques for visualto-auditory sensory substitution – using sound localization as a sensory substitution for depth perception. The research started by investigating the characteristics of human audition with a particular focus on how humans localize sounds. It then looked at existing visual-to-auditory sensory substitution systems and the techniques they used. From the existing systems, a system known as MeloSee was chosen as a baseline for developing and evaluating further sensory substitution prototypes. The baseline prototype (𝑃0) was then implemented and a preliminary study performed. Based on the knowledge gained from the preliminary study, baseline implementation and the background research, a set of improvement recommendations were generated. The next iteration – Prototype 1 (𝑃1) – was then developed based on the recommendations. A comparative study between 𝑃0 and 𝑃1 was then performed. Based on the study, another set of improvement recommendations were generated. From the recommendations, a final prototype was developed – Prototype 2 (𝑃2). The last comparative study was then performed between 𝑃0 and 𝑃2, with a third set of recommendations being generated as a result. From the studies it was found that participants using 𝑃0 were able to identify when they were approaching large objects such as walls. 𝑃1 built on that, improving the ability to identify the quadrant of a nearby isolated object. 𝑃2 built on 𝑃0 and 𝑃1, achieving similar results to 𝑃1 for identifying the quadrant of nearby isolated objects, and improving on 𝑃0 and 𝑃1 with regard to depth discrimination – especially for navigation tasks where there were no obstacles. Based on the three sets of recommendations and what was learnt over the course of the research, a set of visual-to-auditory sensory substitution techniques were presented. The techniques aim to be useful for implementing visual-to-auditory sensory substitution systems, which would provide the visually impaired with the visual ability to localize objects in three-dimensional space through sound.
- Format
- xii, 144 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Science
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
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NMU School of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | de Klerk, J 211114405 Dissertation April 2020 (1).pdf | 4 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |