Ultrasonic Waves to Support Human Echolocation

In this paper a new device and methods to get an acoustic image of the environment is proposed. It can be used as an electronic aid for people who are visual impaired or blind. The paper presents current methods on human echolocation and current research in electronic aids. It also describes the technical basics and implementation of the audible high resolution ultrasonic sonar followed by a first evaluation of the device. The paper concludes with a discussion and a comparison to classical methods on active human echolocation.