PWR-202 · Assistive & Restorative Technology

Sensory substitution

Sensory-substitution mappings can be learned, but they do not restore biological vision or replace established mobility tools.

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Revision 7T · Full Tutorial Edition · Release manifest · Methodology · Corrections

One source of teaching truth

Canonical Power learning unit · TLU-PWR-202

With an assistive-technology professional, the learner records eight unlabelled combined location trials, completes one coded three-cell tabletop path, uses the fallback for an incomplete code and compares a mirrored path delivered by direct description.

Canonical Power page: PWR-202 · Sensory substitution
Full tutorial: Open full tutorial
Practical authority: The tutorial teaches the complete method; qualified supervision controls the specified practical parts.
Current treatment: Full supervised tutorial
Research depth: detailed · 4 bound sources
Risk framing: moderate to high clinical or mobility
Capability self-practice: Qualified supervision is required for the practical method
Pathway membership: Retained external route · SP-HUB-004

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Explanation is not permission.

This dossier explains the evidence and its limits. It is not a diagnosis, personal recommendation, assessment, clearance, performance promise or training programme. Actionable teaching appears only when the canonical Power record explicitly authorises it.

Complete bounded explanation

What this power means.

Capability to develop or express sensory substitution in a declared context without inheriting broader claims.

What the current evidence supports

Sensory-substitution mappings can be learned, but they do not restore biological vision or replace established mobility tools.

How to observe or measure it without overclaiming

Task accuracy, collision type, speed, cognitive load and chosen use versus the person's established mobility route. This measures the declared configured system and cannot by itself establish broad transfer, unaided ability, safety or legitimacy.

Myth

A wearable gives blind people vision

Metric

Task accuracy, collision type, speed, cognitive load and chosen use versus the person's established mobility route

Boundary

Report person, device/model/interface, task, assistance, failure state and comparator; the metric is not proof of unaided general capability.

Negative and limiting findings

Device-only travel was slower with more collisions in one pilot, low steps were detected poorly, and another glove remained slower than the cane.
No cited evidence supports perfect, universal or consequence-free performance.

Claims this evidence cannot support

A wearable gives blind people vision
The tool or robot's output proves an unaided, universal or permanent human superpower
A successful laboratory task proves independent real-world or clinical capability

Individual tutorial · FULL SUPERVISED TUTORIAL

How to learn this Power now.

Get readyRemain seated at the non-slip table; this lesson contains no standing, obstacle or travel task.
Learn the method8 concrete steps teach the permitted method from start to finish.
See right and wrong5 comparisons show correct or safer execution beside common wrong or riskier choices.
PractiseAfter at least seven days, keep the same specialist-approved contact site, pulse map, table and log. Before reviewing the map, sample four shuffled non-centre combined codes. Then reverse channel order: complete delayed Path C by direct description first and delayed Path D by vibration second. Record delayed accuracy, endpoint, time, workload, skin and preference separately from the first session.
Check progressScore the eight immediate combined-code trials, vibration Path A, the staged dropout and direct-description Path B. After at least seven days, score four shuffled codes plus Paths C and D in reversed channel order. Keep immediate and delayed records separate.

Authority boundary: Titan teaches the complete method; a qualified person controls the parts that require supervision, clearance, specialist equipment, load, dose or progression. The method is Power-specific; its actionability follows this treatment.

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Related Powers: PWR-201 · PWR-203 · PWR-204 · PWR-205

Direct evidence register

Sources that support—and limit—the claim.

Citation roles are explicit. A source may support existence or trainability while simultaneously limiting transfer, certainty, generalisation or safety.

Primary empirical supportLimiting / contrary
Navigation aid for blind persons by visual-to-auditory sensory substitution: a pilot study
A. Neugebauer; K. Rifai; M. Getzlaff; S. Wahl · 2020 · Primary research
Primary empirical supportLimiting / contrary
Blindness and the Reliability of Downwards Sensors to Avoid Obstacles: A Study with the EyeCane
M. Bleau; S. Paré; I. Djerourou; D. R. Chebat; R. Kupers; M. Ptito · 2021 · Primary research
Primary empirical supportLimiting / contrary
The Unfolding Space Glove: A Wearable Spatio-Visual to Haptic Sensory Substitution Device for Blind People
Jakob Kilian; Alexander Neugebauer; Lasse Scherffig; Siegfried Wahl · 2022 · Primary research
Limiting / contraryOfficial boundary context
Global report on assistive technology
World Health Organization; United Nations Children's Fund · 2022 · Official authority

Current teaching and evidence boundary

The next gate remains visible.

External confirmation is required before higher-authority use because: a clinical, high-risk or regulated configuration; a supervision or non-attempt boundary; cultural, community-rights or affected-person authority; a restricted safety or legitimacy boundary.

A Power-specific tutorial is available at /tutorials/pwr-202/. It contains a plain-English method, 8 ordered steps, a worked example, right-versus-wrong comparisons, specific mistakes and corrections, practice, measurement, accessibility, stopping rules and evidence. Its supervised mode remains controlling.