Sound can activate 'sight' for blind

The Jerusalem Post reports.

SSDs are non-invasive sensory aids that provide visual information to the blind via their existing senses.

According to io9, the SSD uses a camera to gather visual data and then uses a computer algorithm to translates this data into sound. With a little practice, blind users can identify complex objects, and even read words.

The invention that of Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Dr Amir Amedi.

The discovery builds on previous work by the team, which found that Braille readers show activity in precisely the same part of the brain that lights up when sighted readers read, The Daily Mail writes.

In a statement, Amedi said: “The brain is not a sensory machine, although it often looks like one; it is a task machine.”