A Vision Substitution Method for the Blind Based on Image Edge Detection and Sound Mapping

The vision substitution method is aiming at providing the blind with a capability of perception of the environment. In this paper, a vision substitution method based on image edge detection and sound mapping is presented. By means of lifting wavelet transforms, an image is decomposed into two parts, i.e. the low frequency components and the high frequency components. Canny operator detects its edges in the low frequency image. And the binary edge image is mapped into sound with distinct frequency components. Sound frequency represents the vertical position of edge points. And different frequency sound from the same column is added up and played. Results showed that the noise in the image is effectively suppressed and the mapped sound is easier to understand and remember via this method. After lots of training, the blind can obtain some outside information by hearing the sound.