Research Bulletins
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^M^^^^ AmericanFoundationfortheBlind ^^ Research Bulletins Contents Latif Morkos Cozman On the Possibility of an Entirely Extracranial Visual Prosthesis p. W. Davall and J. M. Gill A Method for the Comparative Evaluation of Visual and Auditory Displays G. A. James and J. M. Gill A Pilot Study on the Discriminability of Tactile Areal and Line Symbols for the Blind Loren T. Schoof II An Analysis of Optacon Usage Ching Y. Suen and Michael P. Beddoes Spelled Speech as an Output for the Lexiphone Reading Machine and the Spellex Talking Typewriter N. V. Clarke, G. F. Pick, and J. P. Wilson Obstacle Detection With and Without the Aid of a Directional Noise Generator Robert B. Welch and Charles Hallenbeck , Editors Recombination and Visual Perception --Ten Papers-- Johan Weckroth , Pentti Miettinen , and Eila Weckroth The Light Permeability of the Retina: Experiments With Blind, Color-Blind, and Seeing Subjects American Foundation ForTheBlind<nc. 15 WEST W\ CT-^^^n . C.I American Foundation for the Blind Itesearch Bulletin June 1975 Leslie L. Clark, Editor-in-Chief Zofja S. Jastrzembska. Associate Editor Audrey C. Gilmour, Copy Editor Michael E. Monbeck, Production Editor The Research Bulletin is a piiblication of the International Research Information Service (Leslie L. Clark, Director) , American Foundation for the Blind, 15 West 16th Street, New York, New York 10011 USA. Published irregularly twice a year, the Research Bulletin may be purchased for $2.50 per copy. Subscriptions for four issues are $9.00. Articles in the Research Bulletin are abstracted in Excerpta Medica, Psychological Institute for the Han- Abstracts , and Rehabilitation Literature and by the Swedish dicapped and the Institute for Scientific Information of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences Manuscripts and other material to be considered for publication in the Research Bulletin should be siibmitted in duplicate to the editor-in-chief. All corres- pondence concerning manuscripts, editorial policy, and further information about research reported in the journal should also be directed to the editor-in-chief. All correspondence concerning subscriptions and orders for back issues should be sent to the Publications Division of the American Foundation for the Blind. Printed in the United States of America. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from Lyrasis IVIembers and Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/researchbulletin29lesl , , CONTENTS Page Page 1 On the Possibility of an Entirely 111 Proposals for the Study of Extracranial Visual Prosthesis Adaptation to Anomalous Causal Latif Morkos Cozman Schemata Ian P. Howard 9 A Method for the Comparative Evalu- ation of Visual and Auditory Dis- 114 The Effect of s's Interpreta- plays tion of "Straight Ahead" Upon p. W. Davall and J. M. Gill Measures of Prism Adaptation Charles S. Harris 23 A Pilot Study on the Discriminabil- ity of Tactile Areal and Line Sym- 116 Speculations on a Model of bols for the Blind Prism Adaptation G. A. James and J. M. Gill Robert B. Welch 33 An Analysis of Optacon Usage 118 Past, Present, and Future of Loren T. Schoof II the Recombination Procedure Ivo Kohler 51 Spelled Speech as an Output for the Lexiphone Reading Machine and the 123 The Light Permeability of the Ret- Spellex Talking Typewriter ina: Experiments With Blind, Color- Ching Y. Suen and Michael P. Beddoes Blind, and Seeing Subjects Johan Weckroth , Pentti Miettinen , 67 Obstacle Detection With and Without and Eila Weckroth the Aid of a Directional Noise Gen- erator CURRENT RESEARCH NOTES N. V. Clarke, G. F. Pick, and J. P. Wilson 145 Blind Mobility Current Research Program 87 Recombination and Visual Perception John Armstrong Robert B. Welch and Charles Hallenbeck , Editors 14 9 An Electromechanical Numeric Braille Display: A Familiar Tactile 90 Prism Adaptation: Learning As- Representation of Electrically En- pects and Proprioceptive Con- coded Digital Signals tributions George F, Dalrgmple Edward Taub and Israel A. Goldberg 153 The Auto-Com at Kennedy Memorial Hospital: Rapid and Accurate Com- 93 Processes Involved in Behavior munication by a Non-Verbal Multi- Observed in Recombination Handicapped Student Studies George F. Dalrymple , Ann Bullock George Singer, Meredith Wallace and Janice M. Danca and Margaret Austin 157 Report of the Perceptual Alterna- 97 Some Effects of Exposure to Op- tives Laboratory for the Period tical Disarrangement on Adapta- July 1973 - June 1974 tion to Optical Rearrangement Emerson Foulke John J. Uhlarik 187 Auditory and Tactual Displays for 101 The Subject: A Neglected Factor Sensory Aids for the Visually Im- in Recombination Research paired David H. Warren and Bruce B. J. H. Gill Piatt 197 Non-Visual Computer Peripherals 107 The Possible Role of Eye Muscle J. H. Gill Potentiation in Several Forms of Prism Adaptation 213 Computer Braille System Sheldon M. Ebenholtz Don Keeping 109 Motor Transformation Learning John C. Hay (Continued on the next page.) Page Page 217 Aids for the Speech-Impaired: Inter- MISCELLANEOUS nationally Coordinated Development Work 229 Abstracts of Literature on Current Birger Roos Research on Education for the Visually Handicapped 221 Aspects of Some Problems Relating Michael J. Tobin to the Transliteration of the Hausa Language Into Braille 279 Abbreviations of Organizations James I. Murnane 227 Blind Programmers at Rolls Royce - 283 RESEARCH BULLETIN SUPPLEMENT Newsletter 1, July 1974 Terry Tate 291 PUBLICATIONS OF NOTE , ON THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ENTIRELY EXTRACRANIAL VISUAL PROSTHESIS* Latif Morkos Cozman Following the discovery by V^Jhen a path taken by research Forster in 1929 and Krause and Shum is seen to be leading toward an un- in 1931 that the electrical stimula- desired application, it is useful to tion of a point on the surface of the explore the reasons for our disap- visual cortex caused a blind subject pointment, and to seek other means to see a point of white light in a of overcoming the difficulties. particular place in the visual field; Despite the disfavor with which the that the stimulation of a different idea has met, the stimulation of the point of this cortex caused the per- visual cortex via extracranial elec- ception of another point of light in trodes to an intaat brain is a possi- a different place in the visual field; bility that should be thoroughly in- the possibility of an electronic vi- vestigated before being ruled out. sual prosthesis emerged based upon a miniaturized TV camera capable of We deal here with some possi- transforming light and dark picture bilities of stimulating the visual elements into discrete electric cur- cortex from extracranial electrodes, rents corresponding to them. and also with an arrangement for eliminating the need for a scanning A television system involving procedure; these eliminate the intra- the use of the human brain itself cranial implant, with its multiple should not be attempted until it is wires or channels, and the elimina- sure that no possible harm would be tion of the scanner itself. caused. Present research involves the introduction of thousands of microelectrodes in contact with the ELIMINATION OF SCANNING visual cortex. The scanning procedure was de- Not surprisingly, prudent neur- veloped out of its role in transmit- ologists and intelligent patients ting and receiving facsimile and TV might well have serious reservations images. However, it is not necessary about the procedure. It might have to imagine that scanning should be surfaced regarding hearing aids if necessary in cases where radio or an extracranial deaf aid did not ex- wire links are not used (as for ex- ist and so much as a single electrode ample in transmitting pictures in was proposed to be introduced in con- photography, microscopy, and ordinary tact with the auditory cortex. Vir- telescopy). In these cases, all the tually no one would have accepted picture elements are transmitted op- such a hearing aid, even though its tically and reproduced simultaneously. construction might be very much more In a visual prosthesis each picture simple than a visual aid. element has to be transformed into a minute electric current, and discrete electric currents can be acted upon by suitable electrostatic lines of force (an ES lens) , and by suitable *Paper presented to the University magnetic lines of force (an EM lens) of Alexandria, Egypt, April 3, 19 74, to maintain their flow (with an ES . lens) in parallel directions. Thus, will arise in the visual device to be t±ie possibility exists of dropping shown. C and D are two coaxial coils out the scanning procedure with all of wire through which direct current its disadvantages in a visual pros- in the correct direction passes, the thesis. This would very much simplify aim being the generation of an axial the required miniature TV camera. magnetic field. Between the two stop- Mention will be made below of how the pers is a dilute solution of sodi\am minute electric currents resulting chloride. A pulse generator and an from the transformation of the light ac ammeter complete the circuit. and dark of the image's picture ele- ments could be separated from each To begin, one single strip in other and constrained to follow paral- B is connected into the circuit by lel paths until they impinge on dif- inserting a pin in its socket. The ferent points of the visual cortex. rectified current is read on the am- meter after switching on the pulse Figure 1 illustrates that numer- generator. Then the experiment is ous signals can flow simultaneously repeated for 2, 3, 4. n strips in parallel paths through a dilute connected together in circuit. It aqueous solution of cerebrospinal will be seen that the ammeter regis- fluid (such as that inside the brain ters in every case a current that is and nerve cells) equal (to a very near approximation) to the current for one strip, multi- plied by the number of strips of B in connection with the circuit.