Shafique Shehzaib, Zanchi Silvia, Gori Monica, Setti Walter, Campus Claudio, Beltran Carlos, Bailo Gian Luca, Del Bue Alessio
Unit of Visually Impaired People (U-VIP), Italian Institute of Technology, 16163, Genoa, Italy.
Pattern Analysis and Computer Vision (PAVIS), Italian Institute of Technology, 16163, Genoa, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 22;15(1):17877. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-03067-8.
The current study examines how multisensory cues-specifically, passive proprioception combined with white noise-affect navigation ability in the absence of visual input. The main goal was to investigate whether adding white noise, as a non-structured auditory stimulus, could enhance spatial learning and navigation in blindfolded sighted participants. Using a novel motion-tracking technology, SensFloor[Formula: see text], participants completed navigation tasks under two conditions: a unisensory condition (passive proprioceptive cues only) and a multisensory condition (proprioception + white noise). We found that participants' navigational accuracy significantly improved under the multisensory condition. While the white noise source (a speaker) was not intended as a spatial landmark, it may have supported spatial orientation by offering a stable auditory reference, possibly through mechanisms like enhanced balance or rudimentary echolocation. These findings underscore the importance of multisensory integration in spatial cognition and have significant implications for assistive technologies aimed at supporting mobility in individuals without vision.
当前的研究探讨了多感官线索——具体而言，被动本体感觉与白噪声相结合——在没有视觉输入的情况下如何影响导航能力。主要目标是研究添加白噪声作为一种无结构听觉刺激，是否能增强蒙眼的有视力参与者的空间学习和导航能力。使用一种新颖的运动跟踪技术SensFloor[公式：见文本]，参与者在两种条件下完成导航任务：单感官条件（仅被动本体感觉线索）和多感官条件（本体感觉 + 白噪声）。我们发现，在多感官条件下参与者的导航准确性显著提高。虽然白噪声源（一个扬声器）并非作为空间地标，但它可能通过提供稳定的听觉参考来支持空间定向，可能是通过增强平衡或基本回声定位等机制。这些发现强调了多感官整合在空间认知中的重要性，并对旨在支持无视力个体行动能力的辅助技术具有重大意义。
