Human Echolocation Paper

6th period
Miracle Bui
December 26, 2014
6th period
Human Echolocation
Echolocation, also known as Flash Sonar is not limited to humans but used by many animals
such as bats, dolphins, whales, etc. Echolocation is the process of a sound wave
reflecting/bouncing off an object revealing its location relative to who or what the sound came
from. It is more efficient using echolocation to navigate, then using a cane or stick and can be
taught to humans.
What do bats, dolphins, toothed whales, oilbirds, cave swift lets, and shrews have in common?
They use echolocation or flash sonar! Either way, both sense objects using sound. Echolocation
is crucial to finding food and surviving in the wild for these animals, but also humans relies on
these animals. Bats are a huge example of an animal using echolocation, during the night to
sense their prey by using echolocation by using a certain body part called ultrasound
transducer, this gives bats and other animals the ability to give out and receive ultrasounds.
Certain bats have certain physical characteristics that enhances the ultrasound, to the point where
it can be audible to humans as well. For example, Horseshoe bats emits a sound through their
nasal (nose) structures as known as Nose Leafs; the eternal part of their ear are large enough to
hear faint echoes and tell the size and shape of an object, as well as the velocity of a moving
object. Dolphins, especially bottle-nosed dolphins also have these physical traits, except the
sound is from their forehead called the Melon and echoes are heard from their jaw, which has a
sound-collecting tissue connected to the ear. Toothed whales like Narwhals interesting grew and
devolved when they first use echolocation and thus, adaptation!
Humans have been developing ever since the first Homo Sapiens and are still growing ever
since. Some humans like Daniel Kish, Brian Bushway, Jake Olson, etc. are just a few people who
have or in the mist of developing echolocation. Unfortunately, humans dont have a certain body
part that can sent and sense ultrasound but humans can develop a skill that make up for except
for the ultrasound part. Daniel Kish is huge example of human echolocation, born with an
aggressive form of retinoblastoma; before he was even 13 months old, doctors removed both of
Kishs eyes to save his life. Now, 44 years old with prosthetic eyes, Daniel Kish the president of the
World Access for the Blind, living independently, while teaching others how to use echolocation. Not
only Kish has used echolocation to live independently but also learn to ride a bicycle, hike by himself
or with others, etc. Some people arent supportive of Daniel Kish like the National Federation of the
Blind accused of Kish of being Disgraceful and that tongue-clicks would be off-putting and
abnormal. Ignoring criticism, Kish created World Access for the Blind and runs it from his home,
their mission to teach people to interact with their environment with using primarily, echolocation.
In my experiment, my prediction was that if I clicked my tongue, a certain amount of times, I can
navigate better while blindfolded. The controlled variables was me being blindfolded, same stick, and
location; while my variables were the amount of clicks limited. The average time, it took me to walk
around using just a stick to navigate was 49.21s and 6 crashes, while the average of 20 clicks and the
average time of 30.35s and 1 crash, using the time it took to get to one place, number of crashes and
clicks, I can determine that using echolocation by clicking my tongue was a better, quicker, and more
Miracle Bui
December 26, 2014
6th period
efficient way of navigating blindfolded. Some observations I took, was that the more crashes, the
more time; the time of a click of 1.5s in an average time frame of 30.35s; it was also difficult
balancing without a stick.
Humans like Daniel Kish has proven that humans can learn echolocation, live independently while
blind, lead the Access for the Blind foundation, and is able to navigate places, even on a bike! You
can teach people to develop the skill to use echolocation, as animals develops over time, and learns
on its own.
Miracle Bui
December 26, 2014
6th period
Bibliography:
1. Blind can see using sound, Hebrew U Teams shows David Shamah, created
March 14, 2014. Read Oct. 30, 2014 http://www.timesofisrael.com/blind-can-seeusing-sound-hebrew-u-team-shows/#!
2. How Human Echolocation Allows People to See with Their Eyes. Joseph
Stromberg, Read Oct. 30, 2014 http://www.smithsonianmag.com/sciencenature/how-human-echolocation-allows-people-to-see-without-using-their-eyes1916013/?no-ist
3. Humans can learn echolateion. Tanya Lewis, Read Oct. 30, 2014
http://www.livescience.com/39231-humans-can-learn-to-echolocate.html
4. Using tongue clicks to navigate the world William Kremer, Read Oct. 30, 2014
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19524962
5. Cognitive Abilities in Human Echolocation - Oskar Andersson, Read Nov. 5, 2014
http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:352229/FULLTEXT01.pdf
6. Learn Echolocation Hadley Leggett, Read Nov. 5, 2014
http://www.wired.com/2009/06/echolocation/
7. Neural Correlates of Natural Human Echolocation in Early and Late Blind
Echolocation Experts Lore Thaler, Read Nov. 5, 2014
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi
%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0020162#s1
8. http://www.worldaccessfortheblind.org/
9. http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/international/2014/06/18/spc-vital-signsbrian-bushwayblindness.cnn&video_referrer=#/video/international/2014/06/18/spc-vital-signsbrian-bushway-blindness.cnn
10. http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/bat2.htm
11. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/sound/usound.html
12. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110525181420.htm

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