Comparison of echolocation abilities of blind and normally sighted humans using different source sounds

• Autorzy: Bujacz Michał , Skulimowski Piotr , Królak Aleksandra , Sztyler Bartłomiej , Strumiłło Paweł

Identyfikatory

DOI

10.21008/j.0860-6897.2022.2.13

• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

The ability of some humans to echolocate has become widely known primarily due to a small number of famous expert echolocators who are capable of extraordinary feats. However, a lesser-known fact is that all humans exhibit this skill unconsciously and can learn it relatively quickly and implicitly through repeated practice. In our experiments we tested groups of 12 blind and 14 sighted untrained participants in a simple echolocation test - localizing a 1m x 2m vertical wall at distances between 1 and 3 meters using 10 different types of sounds as the source signals for the echolocation attempts. There were significant differences between the participant groups and between some of the tested sounds. Although the groups were small, a clear difference was also observed between the experienced totally blind participants and the legally blind visually impaired participants that had residual light sensitivity. From the compared sounds 3 kHz and 4 kHz synthetic percussion sounds, pink and blue noise were among the sources that led to the highest chances of correctly guessing the obstacle’s direction and distance.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

echolocation; blindness; visual impairment

PL

echolokacja; ślepota; niepełnosprawność wzrokowa

• Wydawca: Poznan University of Technology. Institute of Applied Mechanics
• Czasopismo: Vibrations in Physical Systems
• Rocznik: 2022
• Tom: Vol. 33, nr 2
• Strony: art. no. 2022213
• Opis fizyczny: Bibliogr. 11 poz., 1 rys., wykr.

Twórcy

autor

Bujacz Michał

• Lodz University of Technology, ul. Żeromskiego 116, Łódź, Poland

• https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0330-0407

autor

Skulimowski Piotr

• Lodz University of Technology, ul. Żeromskiego 116, Łódź, Poland

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5168-5527

autor

Królak Aleksandra

• Lodz University of Technology, ul. Żeromskiego 116, Łódź, Poland

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8850-6721

autor

Sztyler Bartłomiej

• Lodz University of Technology, ul. Żeromskiego 116, Łódź, Poland

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9370-8352

autor

Strumiłło Paweł

• Lodz University of Technology, ul. Żeromskiego 116, Łódź, Poland

• https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2757-9828

Bibliografia

• 1. D. Kish; Sonic Echolocation: A modern Review and Synthesis of the Literature; World Access for the Blind, 2003. Available at: https://worldaccessfortheblind.net/sites/default/files/echolocationreview.htm (accessed: 25.07.2022).
• 2. L.J. Norman, C. Dodsworth, D. Foresteire, L. Thaler ; Human click-based echolocation: Effects of blindness and age, and real-life implications in a 10-week training program; PLoS ONE, 2021, 16(6), e0252330. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0252330
• 3. C. Arias, F. Bermejo, M.X. Hüg, N. Venturelli, D. Rabinovich, A.O. Skarp; Echolocation: An Action-Perception Phenomenon; New Zealand Acoustics, 2012, 25(2), 20-27.
• 4. A.J. Kolarik, S. Cirstea, S. Pardhan, B.C.J. Moore; A summary of research investigating echolocation abilities of blind and sighted humans; Hearing Research, 2014, 310, 60-68. DOI:10.1016/j.heares.2014.01.010
• 5. L. Thaler, M.A. Goodale; Echolocation in humans : an overview; Wiley interdisciplinary reviews: cognitive science, 2016, 7 (6), 382-393. DOI:10.1002/wcs.1408
• 6. A.J. Kolarik, S. Pardhan, B.C.J. Moore; A framework to account for the effects of visual loss on human auditory abilities; Psychol Rev., 2021, 128(5), 913-935. DOI:10.1037/rev0000279.
• 7. M. Bujacz et al.; EchoVis: Training Echolocation Using Binaural Recordings - Initial Benchmark Results; In: Computers Helping People with Special Needs; Miesenberger K., Kouroupetroglou G. (eds); ICCHP 2018. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer, Cham., 2018, 10897. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-94274-2_15
• 8. M. Bujacz, A. Królak, G. Górski, K. Matysik, P. Witek; Echovis - A collection of human echolocation tests performed by blind and sighted individuals: A pilot study; British Journal of Visual Impairment, 2022. DOI:10.1177/02646196221116728
• 9. S. Jones; Risset Drum Audacity Plug; In https://github.com/audacity/audacity/blob/master/plug-ins/rissetdrum.ny (accessed on 22.07.2022)
• 10. L. Thaler, G.M. Reich, X. Zhang, D. Wang, G.E. Smith, Z. Tao, R.S.A. Abdullah, R. Bin, M. Cherniakov, C.J. Baker, D. Kish, M. Antoniou; Mouth-clicks used by blind expert human echolocators - signal description and model based signal synthesis; PLOS Computational Biology, 2017, 13(8), e1005670. DOI:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005670
• 11. K. Miler-Zdanowska; Echolocation, as a method supporting spatial orientation and independent movement of people with visual impairment; Interdyscyplinarne Konteksty Pedagogiki Specjalnej (Interdisciplinary Contexts of Special Education) 2019, 25, 353-371. DOI:10.14746/ikps.2019.25.15

Uwagi

Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MEiN, umowa nr SONP/SP/546092/2022 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki i promocja sportu (2022-2023).