Sound-Based Games Offer Fun for the Visually Impaired

Professor Yoichi Suzuki of the Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University of Japan, and his group are developing sound-based games for people with visual-impairment.

One of the games, a prototype of which is released, allows the player to get points by “hitting” virtual locations with a specially made bat containing a 3D location sensor, based on sounds produced by a fictional creature moving through virtual space. Professor Suzuki explained, “I’ve heard that there is very little entertainment for the visually impaired, and thought that a game playable by sound alone could be well-received.” His group is also developing applications to support people with a visual-impairment, such as systems to train them in estimating object locations based on sound sources.

Source: Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University of Japan