When I was reading a newspaper last week, I was fascinated by a fact on Ripley’s Believe It or Not that scientists are developing echolocation for humans. I was curious about it because I thought it is impossible to do (except of course of Ben Underwood) so I searched for it and I found out that a team of researchers from the University of Alcalá de Henares (UAH) has shown scientifically that human beings can develop echolocation,  the system of acoustic signals used by dolphins and bats to explore their surroundings. Producing certain kinds of tongue clicks helps people to identify objects around them without needing to see them, something which would be especially useful for the blind.

Juan Antonio Martínez, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Superior Polytechnic School of the UAH, told SINC that in certain circumstances, we humans could rival bats in our echolocation or biosonar capacity.

In their first published study, the researchers analyzed the properties of various sounds and identified what they believe is the most effective sound for human echolocation.

“The almost ideal sound is the ‘palate click,’ a click made by placing the tip of the tongue on the palate, just behind the teeth, and moving it quickly backwards, although it is often done downwards, which is wrong,” Martinez said.

Palate clicks “are very similar to the sounds made by dolphins, although on a different scale, as these animals have specially adapted organs and can produce 200 clicks per second, while we can only produce three or four,” he explained.

The study appears in the current issue of the journal Acta Acustica united with Acustica.

A method to teach humans how to emit, receive and interpret echolocation sounds is being developed. The first step is for a person to learn how to make and identify his or her own sounds, which are different for each individual. The next step is to learn how to use the sounds to distinguish between objects according to their geometrical properties.

No special physical skills are needed to develop echolocation, said Martinez, who noted that some blind people have taught themselves the ability through trial-and-error.

“Two hours per day for a couple of weeks are enough to distinguish whether you have an object in front of you, and within another two weeks you can tell the difference between trees and a pavement,” he said.

Martínez has told SINC that his team is now working to help deaf and blind people to use this method in the future, because echoes are not only perceived by their ear, but also through vibrations in the tongue and bones. “For these kinds of people in particular, and for all of us in general, this would be a new way of perceiving the world”.

The scientists recognise that they are still at the very early stages, but the possibilities that would be opened up with the development of echolocation in humans are enormous. This technique will be very practical not only for the blind, but also for professionals such as firemen (enabling them to find exit points through smoke), and rescue teams, or simply people lost in fog.

A better understanding of the mental mechanisms used in echolocation could also help to design new medical imaging technologies or scanners, which make use of the great penetration capacity of clicks. Martínez stresses that these sounds “are so penetrating that, even in environments as noisy as the metro, one can sense discontinuities in the platform or tunnels”.

I was very happy for this research because it is not only for the innovation of our future but also because it is being done for the benefit of other people especially those that are in need.