Laser profilometer as a three-dimensional space perception system for the blind
Roland M. Damaschini, René Farcy, Noemi Milchberg, Eliana Sampaio, Yvon Brenière · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1998
A telemeter hold by the hand of a blind person measures the distance to the obstacle encountered by its laser beam (1 mW at 670 nm). A microprocessor realizes a correspondence between the distance and a musical note sent to an auricular. The blind person directs the beam thanks to his proprioception. The most important information is not the absolute distance but the musical melody corresponding to the profile of the environment. Combining musical perception and proprioception the blind acquires the form of the obstacles and his position relative to them. Method of learning is in progress.