Ben Underwood riding a bike
Years ago, I saw a documentary about Ben Underwood, a boy who’d lost his eyes to cancer, but could use echolocation to visualize space. Ben was so skilled at echolocation that he didn’t use anything else to navigate and was even able to play sports. He could accurately track where a basketball was by using clicks of his tongue, and ride a bike.
One of the problems associated with human echolocation is that humans typically prefer to echolocate with one sound, in one frequency (someone might use tongue clicks, while another person may prefer to snap), and there are environments where those frequencies may dissipate quickly in the atmosphere or be drowned out by louder noise.
Pipistrellus pipistrellus, a species of bat that uses FM echolocation
One of the ways some species of bats avoid this problem is using frequency modulation (FM) in successive chirps. These bats also special auditory functions that allow them to pick up and interpret these various frequencies even in extreme circumstances. A company, NeuroPop, is researching new assistive technology that would act as a FM echolocation device, sending and receiving ultrasonic chips, and using algorithms to transform the information into something the user can interpret.
White canes and guide dogs have greatly improved independent mobility for those with visual impairments, but an echolocation device may be more discreet, and offer new experiences to its users. Things as simple as exploring new areas or going out with no destination in mind could be enabled by an echolocation device.
I was amazed by the fact that humans can echolocate like bats and that we can use technology to enhance those abilities. Amazing abilities have evolved in animals over time. Maybe we should look more towards nature to find inspiration for new assistive technologies.
My lab (The Towing Tank) does a lot of work in Biomimetics, or applying the lessons from nature to engineering systems. My PhD research was actually somewhat related to your post, but instead of navigation using echolocation like boats, I was studying how fish navigate using the lateral line organ which acts like an array of pressure sensors. In both cases I think it is amazing that nature has developed innovative ways to overcome sensory deficits- the same problem we are trying to solve as engineers.
I would love to learn more about the NeuroPop device you mentioned- maybe include some pictures or at least a link to the company next time. Great post.