Echolocating Through a Doorway

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To get a feel for echolocating you can try this quick exercise in an inside doorway.

1. Stand 3-4 feet in front of a doorway. If possible the door should be positioned in a flat wall and it should be fairly clear of obstructions on either side. Make sure there are not too many distracting noises surrounding you, it’s certainly easier if it’s a very quiet environment. Oh yeah, it’s also important that the doorway does not have a threshold, this will be a dead give-away later on.
2. Close your eyes and listen. Take notice of any ambient noise around you. Notice how these ambient noises change as you turn your head. Address the doorway and make the clicking noise of your choosing. Turn your head back and forth to click in the direction of both sides of the doorway. Step forward toward the doorway and observe the changes.
3. Finding the door. Step all the way through the door and notice the changes in sounds from one room to the next. Try to hear when you are exactly inside the door jam. Try to hear if you are closer to one side than the other, remember to keep turning your head. Focus on one ear at a time, what are the differences? If you think you’ve made it, open your eyes or grab onto the door jam to see how you’ve done. If you’d like you could try turning 90 degrees and approaching one of the sides of the door jam and see how close you can get your nose to it without touching it. While clicking, make your estimate before you verify your success.