MAXIM THIBODEAU Software • interactive systems
FR EN

Screen reader overview

This page is audio-first but not visual-only. Start Audio enables speech and scan tones. Start Voice Commands enables microphone commands. Use the Speak Situation button at any time for position, direction, front cell, and score. Keyboard alternatives are available: W or Arrow Up moves forward, A or Arrow Left turns left, D or Arrow Right turns right, and Shift plus arrow keys moves the scan pointer.

Accessibility · 3D maze · audio perception · voice control

Blind 3D Maze Sound Game

Navigate a random 3D maze by voice, scan real 3D shapes, letters, and numbers, then identify blockers before passing.

This prototype is designed for a blind player. Audio is the main interface: empty air is silent, surfaces make clean tones, and raised 3D strokes or shapes can be scanned with a pointer. The maze stays stable between commands so each position can be compared by sound.

Voice recognition warning: for best quality, use Google Chrome on HTTPS or localhost with microphone permission. Chromium can also work. Microsoft Edge may work, but testing shows lower speech-recognition quality, so use it only as a fallback. Firefox/Safari may not support browser speech recognition. Keyboard, touch, and button controls still work.
Open Game Quick Start How It Works
Audio-firstSilent empty space, clean surface tones.
Ranked hidden modeOrdinary mode by default; hidden mode to rank.
Scannable 3D levelsShapes, raised letters, numbers, mixed challenges.

Accessible 3D audio game

Voice Maze Scanner

Press Start Audio, then Start Voice Commands. Move by voice, scan local 3D surfaces, identify the obstacle, and continue through a solvable maze. The game stays audio-first, with a visual helper interface for learning, presentation, and keyboard/touch play.

Identified 0
Step 1 Start Audio

Audio is silent until activated by the user. Use Tab then Enter, a screen reader, or the visible button.

Step 2 Move and scan

Say “move forward”, “turn left”, “scan center”, or use keyboard controls.

Step 3 Identify blocker

Correct identification removes the obstacle and opens the path.

Ranking Hidden mode only

Ordinary visual mode is for practice. Only clean hidden-mode runs are ranked.

Default Ordinary mode

Visual helpers visible. Good for learning and demonstrations. Practice scores only.

Ranked Hidden mode

Hide visual helpers and solve by audio/voice/keyboard. Screen scanning still works by sound to qualify for leaderboard ranking.

Audio Clean scan tones

No background noise when aiming at empty air. Objects use local surface signatures.

Level Level 1 Simple shapes
Player Column 1, row 7 Facing east
Front Open corridor Ready
Objective Reach exit Identify blockers first
Game controlsAudio-first controls with sighted practice helpers

Start

English stays the original interface. French only adds extra voice command aliases.

Speech recognition is browser-dependent. Use Google Chrome on HTTPS for best results. Edge is a fallback, but recognition quality may be lower.

Level

Rubik final locked. Complete 3 maze levels to unlock Level 11.

Movement

Sound

Maze scanner3D viewport and live sound/readout panels

Screen reader instructions: this 3D canvas is decorative. Use the controls, keyboard, or voice commands instead of exploring the canvas. Press Speak Situation for a concise description. Current state updates are announced in the screen reader status region.

Ordinary visual practice
Voice: start level zero · edge mode · mark this place · hidden mode to rank
Audio is off. Press Start Audio to begin.
Audio is off. Press Start Audio to begin.
Level 1. Position column 1, row 7. Facing east. Front open corridor.
Silent empty spaceNo background noise when aiming at nothing.
Stable positionsThe maze rests between orders for comparison.
Front-face character scanLetter/number backs block scan to avoid reversed reading.
Obstacle disappearsCorrect identification clears the cell.

Command guide

The game does not repeat the spoken order. It gives short confirmations only, so the microphone does not re-record the page’s own voice.

Keyboard: W / A / D · Shift + arrows scan
move forward turn left turn right scan center identify cube identify A identify number 3 where am I start level two next level new maze help register player Alice submit score leaderboard hidden mode ordinary mode

French supplement examples: avance, tourne à gauche, tourne à droite, scanner centre, identifier cube, identifier pyramide, identifier lettre A, identifier chiffre 3, niveau deux, nouveau labyrinthe, aide.

How the maze teaches 3D form

1. Random maze

Each level builds a new 3D maze from wall blocks, corridors, and randomly placed obstacles. Level 1 uses real 3D primitive shapes. Level 2 uses raised 3D alphabet characters made from block strokes. Level 3 uses raised 3D numbers. Later levels mix letters, numbers, and shapes.

2. Voice navigation

The player says move forward, turn left, turn right, or turn around. The camera moves one cell at a time.

3. Continuous sonar

The scan pointer sends a ray into the 3D scene. Empty air is silent. On surfaces, a clean continuous tone changes with distance, face, curve, edge, cap, and tip position.

4. Shape gate

A 3D obstacle in the next cell blocks movement until the player identifies it, for example “identify pyramid”, “identify letter A”, or “identify number 3”. Each obstacle has restricted identification sides. For alphabet and number obstacles, only the raised front face produces sound; the back side is silent and blocks identification. The solution path is generated so required characters face the route approach.

5. Mental mapping

The player learns the maze by comparing fixed positions, turns, distances, walls, and shape signatures.

6. Accessible fallback

Everything works with keyboard buttons too: W/Up to move, A/Left and D/Right to turn, Shift+arrows to scan.

Project highlights