Human Language Can Help Blind People ‘See’

The tongue is a pretty incredible organ, with its location inside the mouth and the way it works. Giving us access to the wonderful world of taste your tongue about touching more sensitive than fingertip is known to be. Without language, we wouldn’t be able to speak, sing, breathe efficiently, or enjoy delicious food and drink.

A recent study has revealed how to make the most of this strange organ. According to this research tonguepeople with visual impairment to navigate comfortably and it may even help him exercise.

A technology used as an aid for the visually impaired was used in the study.

Imagine holding your hand to a camera and simultaneously feeling a small hand appear on the tip of your tongue. In this case, you may feel as if someone is drawing pictures by popping candy on your tongue. What you see in the photo, which was first developed in 1998 BrainPort This technology does exactly that. In other words, it transforms movements on the surface of the tongue into electrical stimulation patterns with a camera.

‘Language screen’ This small device in the shape of a lollipop, called a lollipop, has each electrode corresponding to a pixel from a camera’s video feed. of 400 small electrodes occurs. It also creates a low-resolution tactile display in the language that matches the output from the camera. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved this technology for the visually impaired in 2015. help tool approved for use. The research team also used BrainPort to test how human attention works on the surface of language and see if differences in perception are the cause.

Findings are used to help visually impaired rock climbers climb

Language responds to given information in the same way as hands or vision. But although language is incredibly sensitive, attentional processes are somewhat limited compared to the other senses. So stimulating the tongue is pretty easy, which causes a sensory overload.

Finding that attentional processes in language can also be affected by sound, the research team thinks that if paired with an auditory interface, BrainPort can help direct attention and reduce sensory overload. However, using BrainPort alone can be too stimulating to provide reliable information. The team, all these findings, visually impaired rock climbers He explained that he used it to develop a device that would help them climb comfortably.

In addition, the team will be able to hint at where the user can take their next step and hold on. audio app He explained that he was also investigating the possibility of using the language and used the feedback in the language to find the exact place to hold on.

With a few tweaks, this technology deaf or blind It could become a more reliable tool to help people navigate. Below the waist, unable to use their hands, find direction, or communicate more efficiently to people with paralysis It can even help.