News.

8/11/2002 HRTF funcionts measurements with three volunteers were made. More information here.

20/11/2002 We are making measurements to determine which of the three earpieces which we have is more appropiate to implement in the portable prototype. We tried to find out which is the one that offers to us a better externalization, using for the tests the dummy. The obtained results will be displayed as a graph and they will be compared with another similar experiment, in this case a perceptual experiment, in wich we will made the measurements with control individuals.

The 3 earpieces are opened, and of the intraaural, supraaural and circumaural type respectively. In this experiment we are placing them obstructing the auditory channel with the own microphone.

In principle the supraaurals earpieces seems to be the more appropiated ones, in an aesthetic and functionally point of view, but it will be necessary to wait for the final result of the tests.

November 2002 The tests of the new prototype of the cameras unit were made successfully. In this new prototype, made by Jose Vicente Gigante and Agustín Casanova, all the microcameras control electronics has been integrated in a circuit of adapted size to be mounted in the glasses, also simplifying the wiring of it towards the processor unit. It will represent a base for the construction of still more reduced new electronics, so that it can be integrated in a model of small glasses but for infantile use.

11/12/2002 Several members of our team collaborated in the positioning of the spin table in which it will go located the chair, in HRTFs measurements room at the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands. More information here.

18/12/2002 Perceptual tests with Candelaria Darias were made, using the new portable prototype in construction. The objective was to verify the correct operation of the software and the unit. The correct externalization of the sounds and the capacity of the volunteer to locate objects in azimuth, height and depth with this new prototype and different earpieces was verified. More information here.

January 2003 This year began with the attendance of members of our equipment to important meetings. On the one hand, Antonio Rodriguez moved to Madrid to attend the first meeting of the work group editor of the document "Passed, present and future of the new technologies for the blind people and people with deficient vision" that took place on 14 of January at the ONCES's General Council. On the other hand, Enrique Burunat and Ramon Muñiz attended to the "Third International Course MR, AMR and Cardio MR" organized by the Radiodiagnostic Service Universitary Hospital La Fé of Valencia, during days 30 and 31 of January, and that took place at the Congresses Palace of Valencia.

Also, during this month we have been continued carrying out perceptuales tests with the new portable prototype.

February 2003 The publication Caosyciencia.com publishes an interesting article written by our companion Candelaria Darias, titleholder "When I want to see something, I touch it". Candelaria explains which is the idea of the Virtual Acoustic Space Project and what for her it means to perceive the objects that surround her with our portatil prototype.

Our project has participated at the XXXII Congress of the Spanish Society of Physiological Sciences and International Joint Meeting with the Physiological Society, celebrated att Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands, during 13 to 17 of February of 2003, where they presented and were approved for publication in the official magazine of the Physiological Society, The Journal of Physiology, two oral communications titled: "Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Spatial Auditory Perception in Blind and Sighted Human Subjects", and "Comparative Study of the Acoustic Response of Human Ears, Head and Torso, and its Sculptural Reproduction in Silicone, Oriented to the Development of to Sensory Substitution Device".

March 2003 From 17 to 22 of March, some members of our team moved to Los Angeles, USA, to participate in the 18th Annual International Conference "Technology and Persons with Disabilities", CSUN 2003. The 17th of March our new portable prototype was presented in a chat imparted by Antonio Rodriguez. During the following three days, at the EAV's stand, there were practical demostrations of the new portable prototipe. More information here.

21 April 2003 The financing coming from the PROFIT 2003 call was received, by a value of 88000 euros.

25 April 2003 Antonio Rodríguez y Enrique Burunat, with Cynthia Ferraz, moved to participate in the European Congress of Independent Life, celebrated in the Mare Nostrum Resort complex at Arona, Tenerife, from the 24 to the 26 of April of 2003. There they showed the characteristics of the EAV project with a PowerPoint presentation in the table denominated "Desinstitucionalización", that was been present at by a great amount of public.

The scientific content was distributed in Communications, Round Tables and Communications.

This Congress was organized by the General Secretariat of Social Subjects, Social Institute of Migrations and Services of the Ministry of Work and Social Subjects and SinProMi.
Also, the Collaborating Organizations were: Government of the Canary Islands, ONCE, City council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spanish Committee of Disabled People Representatives, Forum of Independent Life, Disabled Peoples International, Independence Options Rights empowerment, European Disability Forum, and IASS.
For more information, you can visit the Congress web site: www.congresovidaindependiente.org

You can find photographies of our participation in the congress here.