| Meijer, P.B.L. An Experimental System for Auditory Image Representations IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 1992 (39)2:112-121 [html] |
| This paper presents an experimental system for the conversion of images into sound patterns. The system was designed to provide auditory image representations within some of the known limitations of the human hearing system, possibly as a step towards the development of a vision substitution device for the blind. The application of an invertible (1-to-1) image-to-sound mapping ensures the preservation of visual information. The system implementation involves a pipelined special purpose computer connected to a standard television camera. The time-multiplexed sound representations, resulting from a real-time image-to-sound conversion, represent images up to a resolution of 64 × 64 pixels with 16 grey-tones per pixel. A novel design and the use of standard components have made for a low-cost portable prototype conversion system having a power dissipation suitable for battery operation. Computerized sampling of the system output and subsequent calculation of the approximate inverse (sound-to-image) mapping provided the first convincing experimental evidence for the preservation of visual information in the sound representations of complicated images. However, the actual resolution obtainable with human perception of these sound representations remains to be evaluated. |
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| Bach-y-Rita, P., Kaczmarek, K., Tyler, M., Garcia-Lara, J. Form perception with a 49-point electrotactile stimulus array on the tongue Journal of Rehabilitation Research Development 1998 (35):427-430 [htm] |
| Form perception with the tongue was studied with a 49-point electrotactile array. Five sighted adult human subjects (3M/2F) each received 4 blocks of 12 tactile patterns, approximations of circles, squares, and vertex-up equilateral triangles, sized to 4×4, 5×5, 6×6, and 7×7 electrode arrays. Perception with electrical stimulation of the tongue is better than with fingertip electrotactile stimulation, and the tongue requires 3\% (5-15 V) of the voltage. The mean current for tongue subjects was 1.612 mA. Tongue shape recognition performance across all sizes was 79.8\%. The approximate dimensions of the electrotactile array and the dimensions of compartments built into dental retainers have been determined. The goal is to develop a practical, cosmetically acceptable, wireless system for blind persons, with a miniature TV camera, microelectronics, and FM transmitter built into a pair of glasses, and the electrotactile array in a dental orthodontic retainer. |
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| Bach-y-Rita, P. Late post-acute neurologic rehabilitation: neuroscience, engineering and clinical programs Coulter paper 2003 (): [pdf] |
| This lecture highlights my career in rehabilitation research. My principal efforts in rehabilitation have been to study: (1) mechanisms of brain plasticity related to reorganization of the brain and recovery of function; (2) late postacute rehabilitation; (3) sensory substitution; and (4) rehabilitation engineering. A principal goal has been to aid in the development of a strong scientific base in rehabilitation. |
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| Bach-y-Rita, P., Tyler, M.E., Kaczmarek, K.A. Seeing with the brain Internation journal of human-computer interaction 2003 (15)2:285-295 [html] |
| We see with the brain, not the eyes (Bach-y-Rita, 1972); images that pass through our pupils go no further than the retina. From there image information travels to the rest of the brain by means of coded pulse trains, and the brain, being highly plastic, can learn to interpret them in visual terms. Perceptual levels of the brain interpret the spatially encoded neural activity, modified and augmented by nonsynaptic and other brain plasticity mechanisms (Bach-y-Rita, 1972, 1995, 1999, in press). However, the cognitive value of that information is not merely a process of image analysis. Perception of the image relies on memory, learning, contextual interpretation (e.g., we perceive intent of the driver in the slight lateral movements of a car in front of us on the highway), cultural, and other social factors that are probably exclusively human characteristics that provide qualia (Bach-y-Rita, 1996b). This is the basis for our tactile vision substitution system (TVSS) studies that, starting in 1963, have demonstrated that visual information and the subjective qualities of seeing can be obtained tactually using sensory substitution systems. |
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| Kajimoto, H., Kawakami, N., Tachi, S., Inami, M. SmartTouch: Electric Skin to touch the untouchable IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications 2004 :36-42 [htm] |
| A haptic augmented reality system, SmartTouch, is composed of a thin electro-tactile display and a sensor mounted on the skin. The sensed information is converted to tactile sensation through electrical stimulation. Thus, the wearer not only makes physical contact with an object, but also can touch surface information of any modality, even those that are ordinarily nontouchable. The SmartTouch prototype has optical sensors. The authors endeavored to realize the tactile perception of luminance information, which was achieved by imitating the sensory nerve activity with electrical stimulation. |
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