| Rishi (India) 3-D sound picture for the blind If two of these can be used on the whitcane used by the blind or on a helmet that the blind can wear, it should be possible to produce a stereo sound 'Image' of the surrounding. A far away object can produce a lower volume signal while a nearer one produces a higher volume sound. A larger object can produce a lower (Bass) note while a smaller object can produce a higher pitched sound. Even moving objects can be detected by adding a Doppler shift. An object going away will produce a descending scale, while an oncoming object can produce an ascending scale. Microprocessors are quite cheap. Single chip audio amps are in plenty. All components are freely available. It should help a lot of blind people to get a better "view" of their surroundings. Since some of the objects themselves produce sounds, and this intereres, it is a simple matter to wear a pair of ear phones that get their input only from the sonar echo sounder. Reward: Ideas are dime a dozen. Getting them to work is back breaking. The gadget will be helpful to people. Let the maker get her/his reward. |