Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 5, 2025

Development of an Audio-based Virtual Gaming Environment to Assist with Navigation Skills in the Blind
Published on: March 27, 2013
Spatial Knowledge via Auditory Information for Blind Individuals: Spatial Cognition Studies and the Use of Audio-VR
Amandine Afonso-Jaco1,2, Brian F G Katz3
1Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Paris, 92100 Boulogne Billancourt, France.
Abstract:
Spatial cognition is a daily life ability, developed in order to be able to understand and interact with our environment. Even if all the senses are involved in mental representation of space elaboration, the lack of vision makes it more difficult, especially because of the importance of peripheral information in updating the relative positions of surrounding landmarks when one is moving. Spatial audio technology has long been used for studies of human perception, particularly in the area of auditory source localisation. The ability to reproduce individual sounds at desired positions, or complex spatial audio scenes, without the need to manipulate physical devices has provided researchers with many benefits. We present a review of several studies employing the power of spatial audio virtual reality for research in spatial cognition with blind individuals. These include studies investigating simple spatial configurations, architectural navigation, reaching to sounds, and sound design for improved acceptability. Prospects for future research, including those currently underway, are also discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Auditory Perception
Depth Perception and Spatial Vision
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by...
Auditory Pathway
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking...
Perception of Sound Waves
The pitch of a sound depends on the frequency and the pressure amplitude of the source. Two sounds of the same...
Visual Agnosia

