A British 7-year-old who was born blind uses a technique similar to that of dolphins and bats to "see" his surroundings.

Lucas Murray uses echos to visualize his environment, and according to The Sun he may be the first person in Britain to use the method, called echolocation. He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth to locate objects based on how the sound bounces back to him.

Lucas's family learned of the technique when they saw Californian Daniel Kish on TV and asked him to visit the family at their home in Poole, Dorset. Kish, 41, founded the World Access for the Blind and taught Lucas to use echolocation over an intense, three-day period, according to The Sun.

"I really like the clicking system, but it was quite hard to learn," Lucas told that newspaper.Now, Lucas can estimate how far away an object is, just from the time it takes the echo to return to him. The intensity of the sound also tells him the size of the object, and he can ascertain the position of an object by which ear hears the sound first.

He is able to play basketball, enjoy the playground and even go rock climbing, according to The Sun.

"I love basketball," Lucas said. "I can use my click to find out where the hoop is myself and throw the ball through."

The boy's mother, Sarah Murray, said that the system allows her son a freedom they never anticipated.

"Now he is so independent he hardly needs to ask for help any more than a normal seven-year-old would," she told The Sun.

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