Microsoft 3D SoundScape headset aims to help the blind travel freely

Microsoft has joined hands with Guide Dogs charity and the UK’s Future Cities Catapult to develop a revolutionary gadget, which will help the visually impaired navigate through crowded subways, trains and roads with little or no help from passers-by. According to the Microsoft website, the headset will work with Windows phones to give the wearer voice instructions to help them navigate an unfamiliar area. The device is said to provide orientation, navigation and contextual information through the built-in GPS tracker, compass and gyroscope. There are sounds that regulate movements, to indicate whether the user is travelling in the right direction. Microsoft’s 3D SoundScape technology creates an illusion that the sounds are coming from a certain direction. As the device makes use of Bing search, users can ask for directions to a coffee shop or a bus stop to help give a better idea of the place they are in. Instead of earpieces, it makes use of bone-conducting headsets that transmit sound through vibration to the inner ear - bypassing the eardrum. This helps the wearer listen to other sounds apart from those coming from the 3D headset. It also relies on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth beacons that need to be placed strategically in intervals throughout the user’s routes. The beacons relay messages to give real-time information such as how long it will take for the next train or bus to arrive. It also helps with GPS navigation and orientation information, tidbits about landmarks and other places of interest. Alternatively, users can download their routes through Bing Maps so that the headset can offer them guided voice instructions.

Microsoft states that the technology is “an audio-rich experience in which the headset, smartphone and indoor and outdoor beacons all work together to enhance the mobility, confidence and independence of people with vision loss.” The 3D SoundScape headset is currently in the prototype stage so it’s not available commercially. Once it does, we may expect it work with mobile devices other than those running Windows Phone.