Does switching between different renderings allow blind people with visual neuroprostheses to better perceive the environment?
Résumé
Visual neuroprostheses are devices that restore limited visual perception for visually impaired patients. Some of these neuroprostheses, implanted in the retina or the visual cortex include an implant, a computing device and an external camera to capture the scene. An impoverished visual perception is restored when the microstimulation of the retina or the visual cortex activates white spots called phosphenes. However, the resolution of current implants (i.e. the number and spacing of the electrodes) that have passed the clinical trial phases remains low. Such low resolution, coupled with the limited number of different colors rendered by the implants, limits the information that can be transferred. The regular rendering process used with the implants, called scoreboard, is insufficient to support complex comprehension tasks. To allow the patient to better perceive his environment, ongoing research aims at maximizing the quality and quantity of information provided by the implant. We set up a comparative study between different renderings and we showed that providing the blind with the possibility to switch between different renderings significantly increases the understanding of the environment.
Origine | Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte |
---|