Sensory Vision Substitution using Tactile Stimulation

When a person loses vision, he/she ordinarily does not lose the capability to see; they get deprived of the ability to relay the sensory signals to the brain which is evident in congenitally blind people. It has been said that brain is a highly flexible task-machine which means that even with input from alternate senses the regions of brain can retain and conserve their ability to visualize which is the plasticity property of human brain. This is where sensory substitution comes into the picture. Sensory vision substitution has come a long way since it first came into existence. This concept was realized into a device called sensory substitution device (SSD) which produced exciting experimental results and even assisted in further understanding how human brain functions. In this review, various mechanisms designed for visual restoration with its technical and biological functioning will be discussed. Towards the end, how effective the models are at solving the problem with further scope of improvements will be elaborated.