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Virtual Acoustic Space: Space perception for the blind

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2011

Luis F. Rodríguez-Ramos
Luis F. Rodríguez-Ramos*
Affiliation:
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Calle Vía Láctea, s/n, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain email: lrr@iac.es
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Abstract

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This R&D project implements a new way of perception of the three-dimensional surrounding space, based exclusively in sounds and thus especially useful for the blind. The innate capability of locating sounds, the externalization of sounds played with headphones and the machine capture of the 3D environment are the technological pillars used for this purpose. They are analysed and a summary of their main requirements are presented. A number of laboratory facilities and portable prototypes are described, together with their main characteristics.

Keywords

Sound processingsound externalizationHead Related Transfer Functionmachine vision
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 5 , Symposium S260: The Role of Astronomy in Society and Culture , January 2009 , pp. 556 - 563
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

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