Pioneers of new technologies: Vadim Artsev told how he ceased to be blind

On Friday, June 28, the first users of vOICe vision technology met with visually impaired people to talk about a new way of perceiving space, which they learned through sensory replacement.

Three young people were the first in Russia to master the skills of Sound Vision and were able to see the world again, remaining blind. Vadim, Ruslan and Islam are the names of the founders and the first members of the “Sonic Vision Club”. They have different views on life and different stories. But what unites them is noticeable to everyone.
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The world around them "sees" a futuristic device in front of his eyes, vaguely reminiscent of virtual reality glasses. It captures the space around with a camera and literally translates the image into the soundtrack, drawing the surrounding “picture” already in the imagination of the children.

The vOICe vision technology has been developed with one goal in mind: to teach blind people to see. And club members are confident that this is possible. In varying degrees, each of them has already learned how to do it.



“I have been using Sonic Vision for a year and a half. And every day it makes me more independent, ”says Vadim, the most experienced member of the Club. - “With the help of vOICe vision, I feel the surrounding space. I see your silhouette and your face, with the exception of its individual features. I see objects around and the depth of this room. ”

A year and a half ago, after going through a three-month vOICe vision course, Vadim suddenly realized that he had become visually impaired from a blind person. Over time, thanks to constant practice, the feeling of space, objects and objects around it became better, the world gained clarity and clarity.

“This is similar to how modern neural networks teach to identify an object by the picture. They load the image of this object in thousands of different variations. And the more of them, the higher the likelihood that the neural network will correctly determine it. Similarly, Sonic Vision works. The more experience - the better you understand what you "see" in front of you ", - Vadim sees such an interesting analogy in his experience.



Optimism and confidence of Vadim is not yet fully shared by another member of the club - Islam. He has been studying Sonic Vision recently and admits that at first he didn’t believe in sensory replacement technology at all, believing that he had fallen into another marketing trap.

“I underestimated the vOICe vision,” Islam shares. - “When I put on these glasses - my hearing was plunged into chaos. Sounds surrounded me from all sides, and penetrated into my thoughts, as if the Universe wanted to convey some simple truth, but I could not comprehend it. At first it seemed to me that I did not understand the logic of these sounds, but already after a few minutes there appeared the realization that everything that gets into the focus of the camera sounds its own way, with its own sound color, depth and timbre. ”

By the third lesson Islam learned to distinguish between simple shapes and their location in space, as well as to understand the location of objects relative to each other.

“Image coding with vOICe vision is like another language, for example, Braille. That is how its creator Igor Trapeznikov explained to me at our first meeting. In my opinion, this is a very good comparison, ”Islam summarizes.

Such a language teaches not to speak, but to see - Igor Trapeznikov himself, who has been working on sensory replacement technology for over ten years, believes.

“VOICe vision provides a sense of space for a blind person and thus allows you to see. Yes, it is simplified and black and white, but this is a vision, ”Igor shares.



According to the developer, sound vision is similar to bionic, but better, more detailed and accurate. The advantage of vOICe vision was proven last year at Neurotlon in Samara. Then Vadim Artsev, the “pilot” of Igor Trapeznikov’s team, outstripped the user with bionic vision, passing the track almost twice as fast.

The third member of the club name is Ruslan. He does not see 22 years since birth. Ruslan is a very active and energetic young man. He studies at the Moscow State Psychological and Pedagogical University and at the same time teaches computer science, including for blind people.



Ruslan has been studying Sound Vision for only 1.5 months and is much more difficult for him than others, because he has never seen before, and now spatial images and objects in his imagination emerge from scratch. Ruslan used to rely only on his hearing and tactile sensations.

Nevertheless, he had already learned to “see” objects in front of him, to take them without first feeling, to find windows and doors without difficulty. But Ruslan overcame only half of the vOICe vision training course. There is still 1.5 months ahead, promising new interesting discoveries and knowledge.

During the meeting, the guys shared their experiences with each other and with the guests of the event, answered questions and outlined plans for the future. Now such meetings will be held every month - on weekends, so that as many guests as possible can attend.

“For the first time, humanity has managed to create a successful analogue of one of the senses of perception and make Sonic Vision the same skill as any other. And you are the very people who did this. You are the discoverers, ”Svetlana Lebedeva, who chairs the meeting, concludes. - “Your path can be thorny and difficult. But what you told us today proves that Sonic Vision is truly a vision with wide possibilities and potential. But where it will lead and what it will reveal to us, only experience and time will show. ”



It was Svetlana who developed the methodology for teaching sound vision. All members of the Club are her students. And the fact that everyone can master vOICe vision today is its merit.

The Sound Vision Club invites everyone who is interested in technology or the problems of the blind to the next meeting, which will be held in late July.

You can learn more about vOICe vision technology from our detailed analysis or on the official website: voicevision.ru .