Device Converts Images into Music to Help Blind
From: Product Design & Development - 07/05/2012
By: Daphne Watrin

Sensory substitution devices (SSDs) use sound or touch to help the visually
impaired perceive the visual scene surrounding them. The ideal SSD would
assist not only in sensing the environment but also in performing daily
activities based on this input.  

The EyeMusic, developed by a team of researchers at the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem, employs pleasant musical tones and scales to help the visually
impaired "see" using music. This non-invasive SSD converts images into a
combination of musical notes, or "soundscapes."  

Read the entire article at:
http://www.pddnet.com/news-device-converts-images-into-music-to-help-blind-070512/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120705161229.htm

Links:
Amir Amedi
http://brain.huji.ac.il/amir_amedi.asp

Sensory Substitution Devices 
http://brain.huji.ac.il/projects.asp

Sample sound recordings
http://brain.huji.ac.il/em/

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Device Converting Images into Music Helps Individuals without Vision Reach
  for Objects in Space 
From: IOS Press - 07/05/2012
By: Daphne Watrin 

Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have developed EyeMusic, a sensory
substitution device (SSD) that uses musical tones and scales to help the
visually impaired "see" using music. The non-invasive SSD converts images
into a combination of musical notes, known as soundscapes. EyeMusic scans an
image and represents pixels at high vertical locations as high-pitched
musical notes and low vertical locations as low-pitched notes, according to a
musical scale that will sound pleasant in several different combinations. The
image is scanned continuously from left to right and an auditory cue is used
to mark the beginning of the scan. A pixel's horizontal location is indicated
by the timing of the musical notes relative to the cue, and the brightness is
encoded by the loudness of the sound. EyeMusic uses different musical
instruments for different colors. "We demonstrated in this study that the
EyeMusic, which employs pleasant musical scales to convey visual information,
can be used after a short training period [in some cases, less than half an
hour] to guide movements, similar to movements guided visually," says Hebrew
University of Jerusalem researchers Shelly Levy-Tzedek and Amir Amedi.  

Read the entire article at:
http://www.iospress.nl/ios_news/music-to-my-eyes-device-converting-images-into-music-helps-individuals-without-vision-reach-for-objects-in-space/
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=122199&CultureCode=en

Links:
EyeMusic SSD illustration
http://www.iospress.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/An-illustration-of-the-EyeMusic-SSD.pdf

Sample sounds
http://brain.huji.ac.il/em

EyeMusic Transforms Colours into Music for the Visually Impaired
http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/eyemusic-transforms-colours-into-music-for-the-visually-impaired-06-07-2012/