School of Psychology - Georgia Institute of Technology
Ongoing
Georgia Radio Reading Service (GaRRS) "Assistive TECH" Radio Shows
A series of brief radio shows highlighting the research at Georgia Tech that is related to assistive technology, and of interest to the listeners of the GaRRS. A co-production of GaRRS and the GT Sonification Lab.
Assistive TECH: In-Vehicle Assistive Technology (IVAT) w/ Shy Shivers, 01/2013, 01/2013. 1.3 MB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) w/ Shy Shivers, 02/2013, 02/2013. 1.3 MB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Mathematics Point Estimation w/ Shy Shivers, 03/2013, 03/2013. 1.3 MB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Mathematics and Braille Usage w/ Shy Shivers, 04/2013, 04/2013. 1.3 MB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: In-Vehicle Auditory Menus w/ Shy Shivers, 05/2013, 05/2013. 1.3 MB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Accessible Aquarium Research w/ Shy Shivers, 12/2012, 12/2012. 1.3 MB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Sonification Lab w/ Shy Shivers, 11/2012 . 1.2 MB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Accessibility of Mathematics w/ Shy Shivers, 10/2012 . 640 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: In Vehicle Assistance w/ Shy Shivers, 09/2012 . 725 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Accessible Aquarium Project w/ Shy Shivers, 04/2012 . 729 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Driver Assessment & Safety with Assistive Technology w/ Mary Ann Hill 12/2011 . 720 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Affect Detection & Regulation w/ Mary Ann Hill 11/2011 . 715 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Driving Simulator w/ Mary Ann Hill 10/2011 . 698 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Ongoing Research Projects w/ Mary Ann Hill 09/2011 . 1.4 MB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Efficacy, Modeling and Strategy of Mwangaza Project w/ Mary Ann Hill 08/2011 . 712 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Collaboration with InAble w/ Mary Ann Hill 07/2011 . 702 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Application of Auditory Technology w/ Mary Ann Hill 06/2011 . 672 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Auditory Graph Project w/ Mary Ann Hill 05/2011 . 4.3 MB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Accessible Learning Tools w/ Mary Ann Hill 04/2011 . 356 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Outreach Effort to Georgia Council of the Blind-East Ga Chapter w/ Mary Ann Hill 03/2011 . 360 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Accessible Math and Science Project-Kenya w/ Mary Ann Hill 02/2011 . 356 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: IVAT In-Vehicle Assistive Technology w/ Mary Ann Hill 01/2011 . 487 KB, .MP3 format.
Assistive TECH: Africa Research Planning Trip, 10/2010. 3.7 MB, .WAV format.
Assistive TECH: Math Description Engine, 08/2010. 3.6 MB, .WAV format.
Assistive TECH: Bone Conduction Audio (repeat), 07/2010. 3.7 MB, .WAV format.
Assistive TECH: Bone Conduction Audio, 06/2010. 3.7 MB, .WAV format.
Assistive TECH: Sonfication Sandbox, 05/2010. 3.6 MB, .WAV format.
Assistive TECH: Participatory Design, 04/10/2010. 3.7 MB, .WAV format.
Assistive TECH: Aquarium Docents, 02/15/2010. 3.7 MB, .WAV format.
Assistive TECH: Auditory Graphs, 01/22/2010. 3.7 MB, .WAV format.
Assistive TECH: Auditory Menus, 01/01/2010. 3.7 MB, .WAV format.
Assistive TECH: Auditory Menus Toolkit, 01/01/2010. 3.7 MB, .WAV format.
2014
I Trained Rats to Trade, and Win, on Wall Street , from VICE.com. Michael Marcovici trained lab rats to trade in the foreign-exchange and commodity-futures markets. With the help of these rodents, he managed to outperform some of the world's leading human fund managers. Oh, and the rats were trained by listening to sound clip composed with the "Sonification Sandbox, a program provided by the School of Psychology at the Georgia Institute of Technology (the software is an ideal environment for transforming data into sound, a process known as sonification)". Indeed! Here's a link to the author's page at ArtMarcovici.com, with more details, plus a lot of audio and video clips. Cool! Check out archived VICE story: [PDF, 250 KB]. 5 December 2014.
Driverless Cars: State Legislators To Make Recommendations, from Georgia Public Broadcasting. Claire Simms was looking at how regulations will be developed for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. She interviewed Dr. Bruce Walker as part of the piece, following his participation in a panel discussion at the Georgia Tech IPaT Forum. It is a complicated issue, and there's so much more to say than a reporter can ever capture in a story...but my point here was that we, as a society, need to decide how we want autonomous vehicles to behave, just like we as a society have come to agreement about what good driving is for human drivers. And then the manufacturers should write the algorithms so that the vehicles behave the way we expect. Technology must serve the greater good of society, and fit with the very real demands of human society. Read the story and, of course, listen to the radio show on the GPB website. Or check out archives of them here: [PDF, 390 KB] [SoundCloud player]. 19 November 2014.
Project aims to equip blind students to visualise data, from SciDevNet. Sarah Ooko writes about the Mwangaza Project, and its USAID funding through the PEER program. She interviews Prof. Wangari Jane Mwai and Prof. Bruce Walker. Read the story on the SciDevNet website. Or check out an archived version: [PDF, 144 KB]. 03 October 2014.
USAID Press Release: USAID Announces Global Research Collaboration Awards, from USAID. Press release from USAID about the 2014 PEER Grant awardees. Our Mwangaza Project, in collaboration with inABLE and Kenyatta University was awarded a PEER, and is included. See the complete list of PEER awardees for 2104, with our specific award called out on the Mwangaza Project page. Archived versions: [PDF of Mwangaza Blurb, 145 KB] [PDF of USAID Press Release, 65 KB]. 25 June 2014.
Market Place: How to get parents to pay $169 for a toy, from Market Place. Adriene Hill went in search of the real meaning in the sounds of educational technology. One of her interviews was with Dr. Bruce Walker from the GT Sonification Lab. Read the story and, of course, listen to the radio show on the Market Place website. Or check out archives of them here: [PDF, 370 KB] [MP3, 2.2 MB]. 25 June 2014.
MK-lll-LR Weather Station Part of Groundbreaking Project for Visually Impaired Students in Kenya, from RainWise Case Studies. Research teams from Georgia Tech, USA, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, and the non-profit, inABLE, join forces with Weather Underground and RainWise to make weather data accessible to visually challenged students. Through a process called 'sonification,' visual weather data is transformed into sound as part of a project to expand resources for science and math education. [PDF, 600 KB]. April 2014.
2012
Shhhh. Listen to the data, from Physics Today. Story on sonification, and its uses in physics and big data applications. "Sifting through large amounts of data, monitoring data streams, and communicating results are promising areas for sonification." by Toni Feder [PDF, 750 KB]. May 2012.
2010
Electronic Driving Coach article, from Shepherd Center Spinal Column Magazine. Story on the Electronic Driving Coach, which is the button-box-based in-vehicle assistive technology aimed at improving driving by clients who have suffered traumatic brain injury. The GT Sonification Lab has developed a software version of the driving coach. Summer, 2010. [PDF, 452 KB]. Summer 2010.
GCDD Making a Difference Magazine, from Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD). Story on the Ninth Annual Discovery Day, focusing on accessible travel and tourism, which was held in December, 2009. [PDF, 2.7 MB]. Winter 2010.
2009
Accessible Aquarium Project Reports
Atlanta Journal Constitution, ajc.com. [PDF]. February 22, 2009.
Eye on Vision, from WYPL-FM 89.3 in Memphis, TN. Bruce Walker discusses the Accessible Aquarium Project. February 7, 2009. PART 1: Download mp3 | PART 2: Download mp3
Eye on Vision, from WYPL-FM 89.3 in Memphis, TN. Carrie Bruce discusses CATEA and the Accessible Aquarium Project. January 17, 2009. Large mp3 of the complete podcast (20MB)
2008
Accessible Aquarium Project Reports
Georgia Tech Press Release, and Project Overview Videos. November, 2008.
Associated Press Story, via FoxNews.com [PDF]. December 19, 2008.
Associated Press Video, via Atlanta Journal Constitution, ajc.com. December 17, 2008.
Associated Press Story, via Atlanta Journal Constitution, ajc.com. December 17, 2008.
Bruce Walker discusses the project on The Takeaway, a BBC/NY Times radio show [Download mp3]. December 24, 2008.
2007
SWAN Reports
CNN Headline News Cutting Edge Designs, March 10, 2007. Seeing with sounds.
Large MP4 file (640x480, 21 MB) Smaller MP4 file (320x240, 8 MB)
Researchers at Georgia Tech have created the System for Wearable Audio Navigation (SWAN) to help the vision impaired.
Discovery Channel Canada, Daily Planet Show, January 29, 2007. Wiring up blind people to help them find their way.
Complete WMV file (21 MB)
We'll reveal a new prototype device that's showing real promise to guiding blind people around obstacles...
While doctors and surgeons do all they can to restore vision in individuals, engineers are focusing their efforts to helping people better navigate their way around....
"We hope with the SWAN system, or a system like it, that we can truly expand the horizons and activities of what a blind person can do," says Bruce Walker, Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology.
Ivanhoe Broadcasting, Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science, February, 2007.
Helping the Blind "See".
MOV file (3 MB)
Georgia Tech researchers in Atlanta are developing a wearable computing system called the System for Wearable Audio Navigation (SWAN) to help the blind, firefighters, soldiers, and others who must navigate in unknown territory, particularly when vision is obstructed or impaired.
[PDF]
Other Coverage This Year
AAAS Science Update (Radio), March 20, 2007. Aquariums for ears. Scientists are using sound to make public aquariums accessible to the visually impaired. [Full Audio MP3] [Transcript PDF]
2006
SWAN Reports
Atlanta Journal Constitution (online version of print edition), October 08, 2006. Scientists Build Better Navigation Aids, by Greg Bluestein, Associated Press Writer. [PDF]
Georgia Institute of Technology researchers are trying to pick up where GPS leaves off. Its System for Wearable Audio Navigation, or SWAN, consists of a wearable computer connected to a headband packed with sensors that help sight-impaired users know where they are and how to get where they're going.
Sydney Morning Herald, October 09, 2006. Researchers search for better way to help people navigate, Associated Press. [PDF]
Satellite-based navigation gadgets can guide motorists from high above, saving bumbling drivers countless hours and extra trips to the gas station. But directing people on a much smaller scale _ such as inside an office _ is a much greater challenge. Georgia Institute of Technology researchers are trying to pick up where GPS leaves off. Its System for Wearable Audio Navigation, or SWAN, consists of a wearable computer connected to a headband packed with sensors that help sight-impaired users know where they are and how to get where they're going.
Houston Chronicle, October 09, 2006. Scientists Build Better Navigation Aids, by Greg Bluestein, Associated Press Writer. [PDF]
Georgia Institute of Technology researchers are trying to pick up where GPS leaves off. Its System for Wearable Audio Navigation, or SWAN, consists of a wearable computer connected to a headband packed with sensors that help sight-impaired users know where they are and how to get where they're going.
The Olympian (WA State), October 09, 2006. Researchers' technology helps lost find their way
By Greg Bluestein, The Associated Press. [PDF]
Georgia Institute of Technology researchers are trying to pick up where GPS leaves off. Its System for Wearable Audio Navigation, or SWAN, consists of a wearable computer connected to a headband packed with sensors that help sight-impaired users know where they are and how to get where they're going.
Georgia Tech News Room Story/Press Release, August 15, 2006. SWAN System to Help Blind Navigate Environment, by Elizabeth Campell. [PDF]
Imagine being blind and trying to find your way around a city you’ve never visited before — that can be challenging for a sighted person. Georgia Tech researchers are developing a wearable computing system called the System for Wearable Audio Navigation (SWAN) designed to help the visually impaired, firefighters, soldiers and others navigate their way in unknown territory, particularly when vision is obstructed or impaired.
more easily.
Eurekalert press release from Georgia Tech.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-08/giot-sst080706.php
Technology
Review, August 16, 2006. Seeing by Sound, by Susan Nasr. [PDF]
A new wearable computer can transform cities and buildings
into soundscapes, researchers say, helping visually impaired people get around
more easily.
New Scientist, August 17, 2006. New device offers 'sight' through sound, by Celeste Biever. [PDF]
It's not quite bat-style echolocation, but people could soon use sound to help them see. A portable navigational aid that transmits soft, low-pitched beeps directly to the inner ear has been designed to help blind people navigate around cities or guide firefighters through smoke-clogged buildings.
Discovery Channel, August 25, 2006. Wearable Computer Gives Eyes to Blind,
by Tracy Staedter, Discovery News. [PDF]
A wearable computer system that emits audio cues could help guide the visually impaired.
United Press International, August 15, 2006. Georgia Tech develops a 'SWAN' suit. [PDF]
U.S. researchers are developing a wearable computing system designed for visually impaired people, as well as firefighters and soldiers. Called the System for Wearable Audio Navigation, or SWAN, the technology consists of a small laptop, a proprietary tracking chip, and bone-conduction headphones -- all of which provide audio cues to guide a person from place to place, with or without vision. The research is being led by two Georgia Tech assistant professors: Frank Dellaert from the college of computing and Bruce Walker from the school of psychology.
The Guardian, UK, August 15, 2006. Wearable satnav system to help blind people handle new terrain, by James Randerson. [PDF]
A computerised tracking system is being developed to help blind people navigate in unfamiliar territory. The prototype system guides the user through a cluttered landscape such as a city street by giving audio cues.The researchers say the System for Wearable Audio Navigation or Swan could also be used in other situations where vision is impaired, for example by firefighters and soldiers. É"You bypass the normal hearing mechanism and you create the same perceptual phenomenon through a different way," said Bruce Walker, one of Swan's developers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US.
People's Daily Online, China, August 18, 2006. New device designed to help blind people to 'see'. [PDF]
A portable navigational aid that transmits soft, low-pitched beeps directly to the inner ear has been designed to help blind people navigate around cities or guide firefighters through smoke-clogged buildings, New Scientist reported on Thursday.
EnGadget, August 16, 2006. SWAN: System for Wearable Audio Navigation, by Donald Melanson.
A team of Georgia Tech researchers have devised a wearable computer system that promises to help blind people navigate unfamiliar areas, and please the acronym police as well.
Science Daily, August 15, 2006. System To Help Blind Navigate Environment.
Reposting of Georgia Tech press release (there is also a link to the PR above).
ZDNet, August 15, 2006. A SWAN to Guide Blind People. [PDF]
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed SWAN (an acronym for 'System for Wearable Audio Navigation'), a wearable computing system to help blind people navigate in unfamiliar environments. The current prototype is composed of a laptop (or soon a PDA) carried in a backpack, several GPS trackers, four cameras and various sensors.
Engineer Online, August 15, 2006. SWAN Guides the Way. [PDF]
Georgia Tech researchers are developing a wearable computing system to help the visually impaired, fire fighters, soldiers and others navigate in an unknown environment. Called the System for Wearable Audio Navigation (SWAN), it is particularly designed for when vision is obstructed or impaired.
Monsters and Critics.com, August 15, 2006. Georgia Tech Develops a "SWAN" Suit. [PDF]
U.S. researchers are developing a wearable computing system designed for visually impaired people, as well as firefighters and soldiers. Called the System for Wearable Audio Navigation, or SWAN, the technology consists of a small laptop, a proprietary tracking chip, and bone-conduction headphones -- all of which provide audio cues to guide a person from place to place, with or without vision. The research is being led by two Georgia Tech assistant professors: Frank Dellaert from the college of computing and Bruce Walker from the school of psychology.
CNN, May, 2006. Video from Pioneers series. [WMV]
Other Coverage
New Scientist, August 11, 2006. Volcanoes may reveal secrets through 'song', by Kurt Kleiner. [PDF]
Seed Magazine, September, 2006. The Sound of Science, by Britt Peterson. p. 36. [PDF]
AXIS Magazine, May, 2006. Georgia Institute of Technology, moving on the frontiers of design II, by Britt Peterson. pp. 58-59. [PDF]
2002
GT Research Horizons Magazine, November, 2002. Rehabilitation Engineers' Emphasis on Helping People with Disabilities will Improve Wireless Technology for Everyone, by Gary Goettling. [HTML link] [PDF]