Sensory Substitution Devices (SSDs) convert visual information into another sensory channel (e.g. sound) to improve the everyday functioning of blind and visually impaired persons (BVIP). However, the range of possible functions and options for translating vision into sound is largely open-ended. To provide constraints on the design of this technology, we interviewed ten BVIPs who were briefly trained in the use of three novel devices that, collectively, showcase a large range of design permutations. The SSDs include the 'Depth-vOICe,' 'Synaestheatre' and 'Creole' that offer high spatial, temporal, and colour resolutions respectively via a variety of sound outputs (electronic tones, instruments, vocals). The participants identified a range of practical concerns in relation to the devices (e.g. curb detection, recognition, mental effort) but also highlighted experiential aspects. This included both curiosity about the visual world (e.g. understanding shades of colour, the shape of cars, seeing the night sky) and the desire for the substituting sound to be responsive to movement of the device and aesthetically engaging.

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We propose a tool, SonarX, which converts color information from still images or video frames into sound. The tool converts the hue, saturation and value parameters into sound parameters that influence the perception of pitch, timbre and loudness. The goal of SonarX is to help visually impaired individuals to perceive characteristics of the environment that are usually not easily acquired without vision. The tool has been experimented by visually impaired individuals, who confirmed that it can be used to give them information about the range of colors present in the images, presence or absence of light sources as well the location and shape of the objects.