June 3, 2015
When you hear the word “echolocation” you probably think of bats. After all, we use the phrase “blind as a bat” and we know that bats use echolocation–bouncing sounds off of hard surfaces–to navigate their space effectively, despite poor eyesight.
But did you know that humans are capable of this too? Daniel Kish, who became blind at age 13, has learned to “see” using sonar cues to echolocate and move effectively in space. Watch him explain and demonstrate this incredible adaptation of the human mind and capabilities. This is a wonderful example of brain plasticity in action!
We previously reported on Ben Underwood, a blind child who had learned a similar technique. You can read about him here.
