REMPRENDE 2005 Award · Most innovative technology project

Space can be heard too

VCS —Vis Caeca Soni— turns sound, position and context into an intelligible representation of the environment. In Totana 1578, this information is combined with equivalent visual signals so that orientation does not depend on a single sense.

Actual Totana 1578 game view showing the character position and several visual direction indicators
VCS 6.0 within Totana 1578: position, orientation and movement alternatives are part of the playable interface itself.

One experience, more than one language

Listen, orient, understand

VCS does not add a parallel explanation to the game. It organises spatial information so that it can be communicated through sound, image and interactive response within one system.

  1. Listen

    Sound communicates direction, distance, identity and context, helping players build a coherent mental model of the space.

  2. Orient

    The player’s position and available routes are expressed through auditory references and equivalent visual signals.

  3. Understand

    Objects, characters and places retain their identity, location, behaviour and state within the game system.

Inside the technology

From perception to playable space

Compass, Sonar, Trident and other mechanisms have evolved over more than two decades. These three images summarise the principles used to adapt and represent the environment.

Binaural balance diagram representing left and right direction

Binaural balance

Direction begins between both ears

Balance, intensity and the relationship between channels help place a sound source in relation to the player.

Spatial detection diagram showing several objects around the player

Spatial detection

The environment becomes a set of relationships

Angle, distance, priority and object type determine which information should be perceived and how.

Representation of a perception threshold with sounds outside it

Auditory calibration

The experience adapts to each person

Thresholds help tune the system response and avoid treating every hearing ability as identical.

More than twenty years of evolution

Technology built through real projects

  1. 2005

    Technology recognition

    VCS receives the REMPRENDE Award for the most innovative technology project.

  2. First stage

    Onae, Zoe’s Adventure

    The technology is applied to a 3D adventure published by ONCE in five languages, with navigation and challenges designed for an inclusive experience.

  3. Evolution

    New developments

    Piopá and Following the Footsteps of Cú Chulainn continue the exploration of orientation, narrative and interactive sound.

  4. VCS 6.0

    Totana 1578

    The methodology adapts to isometric environments, investigation, complex missions and equivalent visual information.

Audiovisual archive of VCS evolution

These videos document earlier stages of the system and open on YouTube.

Onae, Zoe’s Adventure Onae · gameplay demonstration Onae on television Piopá, a Different Adventure Following the Footsteps of Cú Chulainn

Next stage

Developing and validating VCS with specialists

A potential collaboration with ONCE concerning the development and application of VCS is under negotiation. The proposal includes funding and specialist resources to advance both the accessibility of Totana 1578 and the evolution of the system itself.

Funding and early supporter editionsCollaborate on VCS