Navigation Using Sensory Substitution in Real and Virtual Mazes

Abstract

Under certain specific conditions people who are blind have a perception of space that is equivalent to that of sighted individuals. However, in most cases their spatial perception is impaired. Is this simply due to their current lack of access to visual information or does the lack of visual information throughout development prevent the proper integration of the neural systems underlying spatial cognition? Sensory Substitution devices (SSDs) can transfer visual information via other senses and provide a unique tool to examine this question. We hypothesize that the use of our SSD (The EyeCane: a device that translates distance information into sounds and vibrations) can enable blind people to attain a similar performance level as the sighted in a spatial navigation task. We gave fifty-six participants training with the EyeCane. They navigated in real life-size mazes using the EyeCane SSD and in virtual renditions of the same mazes using a virtual-EyeCane. The participants were divided into four groups according to visual experience: congenitally blind, low vision & late blind, blindfolded sighted and sighted visual controls. We found that with the EyeCane participants made fewer errors in the maze, had fewer collisions, and completed the maze in less time on the last session compared to the first. By the third session, participants improved to the point where individual trials were no longer significantly different from the initial performance of the sighted visual group in terms of errors, time and collision.

Are Supramodality and Cross-Modal Plasticity the Yin and Yang of Brain Development? From Blindness to Rehabilitation

“…The ability of visually-deprived individuals to detect and avoid obstacles has been confirmed in a more recent study using the EyeCane, a VASSD (Maidenbaum et al, 2014). Indeed, after a brief training with the EyeCane, congenitally and late blind subjects demonstrated a number of collisions and time to complete a virtual and a real life-size maze, similar to sighted participants with no blindfold (Chebat et al, 2015). For a proper and autonomous interaction with the surrounding space, the capability to follow a specific route and avoid obstacles should also be associated with an active tracking and reaching of objects.…”

“…SSDs have been also employed in blind individuals during more complex tasks such as spatial navigation (Kupers et al, 2010; Chebat et al, 2011, 2015; Proulx et al, 2015; for a review). The ability to navigate the environment is crucial in modern urban life, yet it represents a challenging task for blind subjects, in particular when novel routes have to be learned.…”

Learning to see again: biological constraints on cortical plasticity and the implications for sight restoration technologies

“…‘Virtual environments’, which have recently been successfully used for training with sensory substitution devices (Maidenbaum et al 2013, Maidenbaum et al 2014, Chebat et al 2015, Levy-Tzedek et al 2016, Maidenbaum et al 2016), offer an elegant way to solve many of these difficulties. Within the VR context it is easy to generate a varied stimulus set of objects or environments.…”

Spatial navigation by congenitally blind individuals

“…In addition, the EyeCane is a device for transforming distance information into both sounds and vibrations . The EyeCane has been successfully used in a virtual obstacle avoidance task and in a real life‐size Hebb‐Williams maze . Despite the recent achievements of both TDUs and the EyeCane, participants using these devices had some difficulties avoiding obstacles near the ground …”

“…129 Despite the recent achievements of both TDUs and the EyeCane, participants using these devices had some difficulties avoiding obstacles near the ground. 129,271 SSDs have also been developed for wayfinding assistance. For example, Marston and colleagues 253 successfully directed blind participants along real world paths using different auditory displays.…”