Patent ID: 8529477

Claim:
A system for determining and providing orientation cues to a subject, the system comprising: (a) a first sensory substitution device configured to obtain first data related to a first state of the subject, wherein the first sensory substitution device is selected from a group consisting of a vibratometer configured to detect a vibration in the subject, a magnetometer configured to measure an ambient magnetic field, an altimeter, and an electromyography device configured to detect activity in a muscle of the subject; (b) a second sensory substitution device configured to obtain second data related to a second state of the subject, the second state including a motion and an orientation of the subject; (c) a processor configured to: determine at least in part on the basis of a combination of the first data and the second data, an updated context of the subject, dynamically update a definition of an acceptable region within a state space defined by at least the first and second states, based on the updated context of the subject, determine a deviation of a position of the subject from the updated acceptable region within the state space, and determine an orientation cue for the subject wherein the cue indicates in which particular manner and direction the subject should change the subject's orientation to reduce the deviation; and (d) a stimulator for providing the orientation cue to the subject, wherein the orientation cue is selected from a group consisting of a tactile cue, an audio cue, a visual cue, and an electrical cue.