As the total solar eclipse crosses North America from Texas to Maine in April, blind or visually-impaired people will have the opportunity to experience this cosmic event through sound, thanks to a device called LightSound. Developed by the Harvard University Astronomy Lab and blind astronomer Wanda Diaz-Merced, LightSound translates ambient light into sound, offering a new way to experience an eclipse.
“We developed a device called the LightSound that essentially takes light and converts it to sound as a tool for the blind and visually impaired,” Allyson Bieryla, manager of the Astronomy Lab, explained.
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This innovative technology will be available at public gatherings, enabling those who cannot see the eclipse to hear it instead.
The device works by converting the varying levels of light during an eclipse into different sounds: flute tones represent bright daylight, a clarinet sounds as the light dims during the eclipse and soft clicks signal the total eclipse phase when the moon completely obscures the sun.
“So one option, you can hook this up to a speaker, and then you can project the sound to an entire group,” Bieryla said, detailing how the device mimics the eclipse’s progression through sound. “As the sun is changing, this would be like the bright light of the sun. And then as it starts to dim, it goes away and the sound gets lower. And then the shadow comes in and it gets even lower and starts clicking.”
Initially starting with three devices for the 2017 eclipse, the team aims to distribute at least 750 LightSound devices this year to locations in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. This effort is part of a larger goal to make astronomy more accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to see.
“This device isn’t just for a blind or low-vision person,” Bieryla said. “It could also be a tool for a person that engages with data differently.”
For those interested in creating their own LightSound device, the creators welcome individuals with soldering skills to take on the project, offering open-source code on their website.
ALLYSON BIERYLA
MANAGER OF THE ASTRONOMY LAB
“We developed a device called the LightSound that essentially takes light and converts it to sound as a tool for the blind and visually impaired.”
LAUREN TAYLOR
NEXT MONTH, AS A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE CROSSES 13 STATES FROM TEXAS TO MAINE, THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY WILL ENABLE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE THE COSMIC EVENT THROUGH SOUND.
THE HARVARD UNIVERSITY ASTRONOMY LAB TEAM ALONG WITH WITH BLIND ASTRONOMER WANDA DIAZ MERCED CREATED LIGHTSOUND, A DEVICE THE SIZE OF A SMARTPHONE, WHICH TURNS AMBIENT LIGHT LEVELS INTO SOUND: FLUTE TONES FOR DAYLIGHT, CLARINET FOR THE DIMMING DURING AN ECLIPSE, AND SOFT CLICKS FOR THE TOTAL ECLIPSE PHASE, WHEN THE MOON OBSCURES THE SUN.
THE TEAM STARTED WITH THREE DEVICES FOR THE 2017 ECLIPSE AND
THIS YEAR, EFFORTS ARE UNDERWAY TO DISTRIBUTE AT LEAST 750 LIGHTSOUND DEVICES ACROSS ECLIPSE EVENT LOCATIONS IN MEXICO, THE U.S., AND CANADA.
ALLYSON BIERYLA
MANAGER OF THE ASTRONOMY LAB
“So one option – you can hook this up to a speaker, and then you can project the sound to an entire group. As the sun is changing, this would be like the bright light of the sun. And then as it starts to dim, it goes away and the sound gets lower. And then the shadow comes in and it gets even lower and starts clicking.”
LAUREN TAYLOR
BIERYLA EMPHASIZES THE LAB’S AIM IS TO MAKE ASTRONOMY MORE ACCESSIBLE, SAYING THAT THE DEVICE SERVES NOT ONLY THOSE WHO ARE BLIND OR HAVE LOW VISION BUT ANYONE WHO WANTS INTERACTS WITH DATA IN UNIQUE WAYS.
THE LIGHTSOUND DEVICE CREATORS WELCOME INDIVIDUALS WITH SOLDERING SKILLS TO BUILD THEIR OWN UNITS, IF YOU’RE INTERESTED YOU CAN FIND THE OPEN-SOURCE CODE ON OUR WEBSITE, SAN.COM.
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