Lecturer: Susan Wache, Julia Wache, and Stephan Drechsel
Fields: Cognitive Science
Content
Echolocation is one of the most amazing human sensory perceptions. While sighted people purposefully tune out reflected sound waves, blind people have learned to extract all kinds of information from the echoes. To do this, the brain must generate a processing center in which the size, location, material, and density of surrounding surfaces are represented. It has been scientifically proven that the area of experienced echo sounders is located in the visual cortex and not in the auditory center, which should not be surprising because of the information to be processed.
Can sighted people also learn this technique? How does it feel when the brain builds a new sensory center? How does one program their own brain to process previously hidden sensory perceptions? The course “Echolocation” addresses these questions in a very practical way. Participants learn the basics of the “click sonar” technique (75%) and the theory behind it (25%). The course takes place to a large extent blindfolded. Since we try to intervene as effectively as possible in processing patterns of sensory perceptions, side effects such as elation, migraine or dreams cannot be excluded. No guarantee of consciousness enhancement.
Lecturer
Susan Wache studied Cognitive Science at the University of Osnabrück. She worked in the Research Group feelSpace that investigates human senses and works especially with Compass Belts. In 2015 two colleagues from the same group and herself as CMO founded the startup feelSpace that develops and sells naviBelts, tactile navigation devices especially for the visually impaired.
Affiliation: feelSpace GmbH
Homepage: www.feelSpace.de
Julia Wache studied Cognitive Science in Vienna and Potsdam. She finished her PhD in Trento working on the Emotion Recognition via physiological signals and mental effort in the context of using a tactile belt for orientation. In parallel she participated in the EIT Digital doctoral program to learn entrepreneurial skills. In 2016 she joined the feelSpace GmbH as Head of Marketing. Since feelSpace provides aids for independent mobility of blind people she learned about echo location in this context.
Stephan Drechsel runs a rehabilitation practice for visually impaired and blind persons near Ulm. An important part of his work is to teach blind people echolocation skills. In 2016 he learned active echolocation himself as a sighted person. Since then he has been training sighted colleagues as well as blind students how to use flashsonar, which produces visual images by sound.