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Israeli invention gives 'sight' to blind population
By Viva Sarah Press
Monday, 25 July 2011
Within days of exhibiting its "virtual cane" device for
the blind, Hebrew University scientists grabbed headlines for a little
gadget about to change the lives of millions of people across the
globe.
From left are Lior Reich, Dr. Daniel-Robert Chebat, Dr.
Amir Amedi, Shachar Maidenbaum, Sami Abboud and Uri Hertz. Amir is
holding the "Yes-Eye-Cane" device. [Amir Amedi photo]
It's dubbed "Yes-Eye-Cane," and it's meant to replace the
traditional white cane used by the sight-impaired population for
getting around. It was developed by Dr. Amir Amedi - of the Institute
for Medical Research Israel-Canada at the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem - and his team to improve orientation and mobility of the
sight-impaired by helping them estimate the distance and height of
obstacles in their path.
"It enables the detection of obstacles that are much
farther away than the one-metre radius of the regular white cane," Dr.
Daniel-Robert Chebat, who works in Amedi's Laboratory for Multisensory
Research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told The CJN. "The
user does not need to actually touch an object with a stick to feel
it. The sensors of the device do this instead. This device is much
more discreet and avoids clumsily hitting objects with a stick to
sense their presence."
Chebat, 32, who grew up in Montreal, heard about Amedi's
research while working on his doctorate at Université de Montréal, at
the school of optometry in neuropsychology.
"I was working with a different sensory substitution
device, and I was interested in navigation in blind people using
sensory substitution," said Chebat, an Azrieli Post-doctoral Fellow in
the department of medical neurobiology at Hebrew U. "I wanted to
continue exploring this fascinating topic of sensory substitution and
brain plasticity after finishing my PhD [in 2010]. I had heard of the
amazing research Dr. Amir Amedi had been doing. and I quickly realized
that this dynamic and creative lab was the very best place in the
world for me to pursue my scientific aspirations and ambitions as a
researcher.
"Israeli universities are reputed to be on the cutting
edge of science and constantly searching to apply this science to
everyday life."
Chebat - along with other members of Amedi's team -
demonstrated how to use the Yes-Eye-Cane at the recent Israeli
Presidential Conference in Jerusalem. The device was unveiled as part
of a larger exhibition presented by Yissum, the technology transfer
arm of Hebrew U.
"Dr. Amedi's promising invention can endow visually
impaired people with the freedom to freely navigate in their
surroundings without unintentionally bumping into or touching other
people and thus has the potential to significantly enhance their
quality of life," said Yaacov Michlin, CEO of Yissum.??So, here's how
it works.
Users point the hand-held unit, which emits an invisible
focused beam, in the direction they are walking. The cane incorporates
several sensors that estimate the distance between the user and the
object it is pointed at. That information is then relayed to the user
by a series of vibrations, allowing the blind person to reconstruct an
accurate image of the surroundings and navigate safely.
The virtual cane is easy to carry, can function for up to
12 hours and is easy to charge. It is also highly intuitive, and a
user can learn to handle within just a few minutes.
Scientifically, the device has given researchers a window
into the workings of the brain.
"The amazing thing about these devices is how the brain of
someone who is born blind reacts to them. The visual parts of the
brain treat this information as if it were real vision coming from the
eyes," said Chebat.
"Basically, there is a conservation of function in the
brain and the parts of the brain that normally are used to see with
the eyes are co-opted to analyze the visual information now coming
through the ears. So, it is not just sound with the properties of
vision, if the brain is treating it like visual information and people
using these devices can detect objects, recognize shapes and do all
kinds of tasks that we normally do with vision. It is possible to say
that they are seeing with sound, or seeing with touch."
There are nearly 200 million visually-impaired people
globally and 40 million of whom are legally blind. According to the
National Coalition for Vision Health, there are 278,000 Canadians who
are visually impaired and 108,000 who are legally blind.
The Yes-Eye-Cane device is designed for people "who are
completely blind from birth, people who became blind later in life,
and people with low vision," said Chebat. "The low cost of the device
(about $30 Cdn) makes it affordable to everyone and it is Dr. Amedi's
dream to be able to distribute this device to all blind people in
Israel who would like to use it, and eventually in the world.
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