AES E-Library

Naviton—A Prototype Mobility Aid for Auditory Presentation of Three-Dimensional Scenes to the Visually Impaired

To augment the task of navigation and orientation of blind individuals, a new travel aid uses 3D scene sonification to present information about the environment using nonverbal audio. The model is composed of two classes of objects: obstacles and planes. The algorithm uses scene image segmentation, personalized spatial audio, musical tones, and sonar-like sound patterns. Individually measured head-related transfer functions were used to provide users with the illusion of sounds originating from the locations of sonified scene elements. Using a segmented and parametric description overcomes the sensory mismatch between visual and auditory perception. In a pilot study using both blind and sighted volunteers, subjects were able to utilize the prototype for spatial orientation and obstacle avoidance after a few minutes of training, attaining 90% accuracy in estimating the direction and depth of obstacles.

Authors: Bujacz, Michal; Skulimowski, Piotr; Strumillo, Pawel
Affiliation: Lodz University of Technology, Lodz, Poland
JAES Volume 60 Issue 9 pp. 696-708; September 2012 Import into BibTeX

Click to purchase paper or login as an AES member. If your company or school subscribes to the AES Journal then you can look for this paper in the institutional version of the Online Journal. If you are not an AES member and would like to subscribe to the E-Library then Join the AES!

This paper costs $20 for non-members, $5 for AES members and is free for E-Library subscribers.

Learn more about the AES E-Library

E-Library Location: (CD JAES60)   /jaes60/9/pg696.pdf

Start a discussion about this paper!