VISION SUBSTITUTION THROUGH THE TONGUE

通过舌头代替视觉

• 批准号: 7114333
• 负责人: PAUL BACH-Y-RITA
• 金额: $ 32.83万
• 依托单位: WICAB, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-09-15 至 2009-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7114333
• 关键词: assistive device /technology; behavioral /social science research tag; biomedical equipment development; biotechnology; blind aid; clinical research; computer simulation; evaluation /testing; form /pattern perception; human subject; miniature biomedical equipment; neural information processing; orthodontics; portable biomedical equipment; psychophysics; quality of life; sensorimotor system; sensory feedback; tongue; visual stimulus

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop and test a tongue brain-machine interface (BMI) capable of sufficiently enhancing quality of life (QoL) of blind persons to be valuable assistive technology. Investigation will be carried out along 4 interrelated lines: 1- Optimization of the technology; 2- Psychophysical investigation of the match between TVSS system and perceptual capabilities of users; 3- Investigation of changes in perceptual motor processes and capabilities of users. 4- Monitoring and analysis of usage, challenges, and opportunities the system may afford users. Studies on 1 will be carried out in Madison. Studies on 2 will be conducted at Harvard University in Boston, where the program of psychophysical assessment will address a number of aspects of visual perception with the simulators and will also assess changes that might occur in these functions with moderate level of adaptation to the device. The program will include basic testing aimed at determining the level of pattern vision provided by the system in ways similar to testing of basic visual function in observers starting with static stimuli generated by the computer, as well as full function assessments enabling the user to combined all of the flexibility and active exploration provided by head mounted camera in a simulated environment. Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee will address areas 3& 4 to determine the way a wearable TVSS influences the actions of the wearers from very controlled motor control assessments to Orientation and Mobility (O&M) and societal participation measures. Pilot data shows that TVSS users develop new perceptual motor skills in the first few hours of training. The population of active and adventuresome adults, while least likely to experience QoL changes, will be the most demanding consumers encountering a large variety of challenges for use of the system. Ongoing evaluation of usage and problem solving will be conducted with Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) using cellular phones with PDA capabilities. This will allow for compliance or usage tracking, contingent sampling and purposive sampling throughout the study on each wearer, allowing the iterative process necessary for optimization of the system. The study of the capacity of motivated blind persons to extract meaningful information with frequent use of a wearable, user friendly and slightly higher resolution version of the present system will occur in parallel with the technology optimization and psychophysics.

描述（由申请人提供）：我们建议开发和测试一种能够充分提高盲人生活质量（QoL）的舌脑机接口（BMI），使其成为有价值的辅助技术。调查将沿着 4 个相互关联的方向进行： 1- 技术优化； 2- TVSS系统与用户感知能力匹配的心理物理学调查； 3- 研究用户感知运动过程和能力的变化。 4- 监控和分析系统可能为用户提供的使用情况、挑战和机遇。对1的研究将在麦迪逊进行。 2 的研究将在波士顿的哈佛大学进行，该大学的心理物理学评估计划将解决模拟器视觉感知的许多方面，还将评估在对设备进行中等程度的适应时这些功能可能发生的变化。该计划将包括旨在确定系统提供的模式视觉水平的基本测试，其方式类似于从计算机生成的静态刺激开始测试观察者的基本视觉功能，以及使用户能够结合所有功能的全面功能评估。头戴式摄像头在模拟环境中提供的灵活性和主动探索。威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校的研究将解决 领域 3 和 4 以确定可穿戴 TVSS 如何影响佩戴者的行为，从严格控制的运动控制评估到定向和移动性 (O&M) 以及社会参与措施。试点数据显示，TVSS 用户在训练的最初几个小时内就发展出了新的感知运动技能。活跃和冒险的成年人群体虽然最不可能经历生活质量变化，但将是要求最高的消费者，在使用系统时会遇到各种各样的挑战。将使用具有 PDA 功能的手机通过生态瞬时评估 (EMA) 对使用情况和问题解决进行持续评估。这将允许在整个研究过程中对每个佩戴者进行合规性或使用情况跟踪、偶然抽样和有目的抽样，从而允许优化系统所需的迭代过程。对有动机的盲人通过频繁使用本系统的可穿戴、用户友好且分辨率稍高的版本来提取有意义的信息的能力的研究将与技术优化和心理物理学同时进行。