Bath University develops groundbreaking technology for the visually impaired

• Dr Mike Richardson speaks on the development

Researchers at the University of Bath are looking at how they might be able to help those who are visually impaired to effectively ‘see’ with their tongue.

A device is being developed which translates an image of the world around us into a moving pattern onto the user’s tongue.

By combining the device with artificial intelligence technology, it has the potential to change the lives of those who are sight impaired.

Dr Mike Richardson is the researcher working on the development, he said: “It’s part of a field called sensory substitution, which is a field of science that tries to swap information between the senses.

“The way that this device, in particular, does that is by changing pixels from a camera onto patterns of electrical stimulation on the surface of your tongue.

“So, if you hold your hand up to the camera it feels like you’ve got this tiny electrical hand on the surface of your tongue.”

The device has already been received well, used in the trial to help rock climbers navigate routes.

Dr Richardson said: “There are promising results, it does help people who have visual impairments. Our research is specifically looking at how we can get more visually impaired people into sports and exercise.

“For rock climbers, if you’re climbing in a gym, you might be climbing on coloured climbing holds.

“We use machine learning and AI to pick out where the next hold is, you can feel these cues on your tongue to help you navigate.

“For example, if you feel a bit of electrical stimulation on the right side of your tongue, you know there’s going to be a hold somewhere up towards the right-hand side which helps you direct your movement.

“We can also use this technology to identify people and cars, so it’s pretty huge.”