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 visually impaired people to talk about a new way of perceiving the space that they had 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 - this is the name of the founders and the first members of the "Club of Sound Vision". They have different views on life and different stories. But what unites them is noticeable to everyone.

The world around them “sees” a futuristic device in front of our eyes, which vaguely resembles virtual reality glasses. It captures the space around with the camera and literally translates the image into the soundtrack, drawing the surrounding "picture" already in the imagination of the guys.

VOICe vision technology is designed with one goal in mind: to teach blind people to see. And the club members are sure that this is possible. To varying degrees, each of them has already learned to do this.



“I have been using Sound 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 vOICe vision, I feel the environment. 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, having completed a three-month training course in vOICe vision, 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 became better, the world gained clarity and clarity.

“This is similar to how modern neural networks teach to identify an object from a picture. They download 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. Sound Vision also works the same way. The more experience - the better you understand what you “see” in front of you, ”Vadim sees such an interesting analogy in his experience.



Vadim’s optimism and confidence is not yet fully shared by another member of the club - Islam. He has been studying Sound Vision recently and admits that at first he did not believe in sensory replacement technology at all, believing that he was caught in another marketing trap.

“I underestimated vOICe vision,” says Islam. “When I put on these glasses, my hearing plunged into chaos. Sounds surrounded me from all sides, and penetrated 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 after a few minutes there was a realization that everything that falls into the camera’s focus sounds in its own way, with its own sound color, depth and timbre. ”

By the third lesson, Islam learned to distinguish between simple figures 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, like Braille. That's exactly what its creator Igor Trapeznikov explained to me at our first meeting. In my opinion, this is a very good comparison, ”summarizes Islam.

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

“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 it is 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 the Neurotlon in Samara. Then Vadim Artsev, the “pilot” of Igor Trapeznikov’s team, was ahead of the user with bionic vision, having passed the track almost twice as fast.

The third member of the club is Ruslan. He does not see 22 years - from 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 is trained in Sound Vision only 1.5 months and is much more difficult for him than others, because he had never seen before, and now spatial images and objects in his imagination loom from scratch. Ruslan is used to relying only on his hearing and tactile sensations.

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

During the meeting, the guys shared their experience 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 them.

“For the first time, mankind has managed to create a successful analogue of one of the senses of perception and make Sound Vision the same skill as any other. And you are exactly the people who did this. You are the discoverers, ”sums up Svetlana Lebedeva, who chaired the meeting. “Your path can be thorny and difficult. But what you told us today proves that Sound Vision is really vision with wide possibilities and potential. And 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 its students. And the fact that everyone can master vOICe vision today is her merit.

The Club of Sound Vision 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 .