Enabling People with Visual Impairments to Navigate Virtual Reality with a Haptic and Auditory Cane Simulation

Zhao, Yuhang; Bennett, Cynthia L.; Benko, Hrvoje; Cutrell, Edward; Holz, Christian; Morris, Meredith Ringel; Sinclair, Mike

doi:10.1145/3173574.3173690

Cited by 156 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…However, the use of the head protection belt in this HMD eliminated the problem of an overly bent neck position otherwise induced by the weight of the cameras and HMD display. As a result, it was possible to achieve specifications (1) and 3…”

Section: Results and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To eliminate the impediments of low vision, better design and the provision of assistive devices in a range of settings are needed. The developmental study of the HMD with virtual technology for people with low vision is increasing gradually [1], [2]. For this research, we developed and tested wearable 3D magnifying glasses designed to compensate for vision loss and support activities of daily living in older people and those with low vision.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of a Three-Dimensional Magnifying Visual Information Display System to Support the Daily Activities of the Visually Impaired

Tanaka¹,

Kato²,

Miyasaka³

et al. 2019

International Journal of New Technology and Research

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There are 310,000 visually impaired people in Japan, about 80% of whom are said to have low vision. Optical aids such as magnifying glasses (loupes), monocular devices, and reading magnification systems are used in daily life. However, these assistive devices are not used widely or for many purposes. Moreover, two-dimensional visual magnification also interferes depth perception and interaction in three-dimensional (3D) space. To eliminate the impediments of low vision, better design and the provision of assistive devices in a range of settings are needed. For this research, we developed and tested wearable 3D magnifying glasses designed to compensate for vision loss and support activities of daily living in older people and those with low vision. These glasses consist of a head-mounted display (HMD) with built-in miniature cameras and are capable of performing rapid 3D magnification of objects captured by the cameras before presenting these images to the display. An HMD with built-in miniature charge-coupled device cameras has a wired connection to a control terminal and is operated by a Bluetooth remote control. The operator can also operate the control terminal from an operator terminal connected by Wi-Fi. The cameras feature two horizontally installed miniature CMOS color image sensors. The display unit has a resolution at least as good as VGA (default resolution 640 x 480) at both left and right. Adjusting screws are installed at both sides to allow focus adjustment and binocular parallax. Built-in speakers were also added to enable the use of an audio guide. It was also possible to achieve specifications as follows; image processing function modes and external input display mode. In order to evaluate the effect of the specifications by using the HMD, the Questionnaire survey of the usability of the prototype HMD was conducted in 10 participants (9 men, 1 woman; age range, 20-22 years) with visual impairment (low vision). The results showed that the 3D-HMD might be effective for the visually handicapped person and the elderly to assist the reduced visual acuity. It was suggested that the improvement in converted visual acuity using the HMD could enhance the accuracy (e.g., precision, speed) of communication aimed at the visually impaired compared with existing devices. In the future, this HMD needs to be studied in a larger sample using several reliable test methods that take less time and thus place less burden on participants.

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Section: Results and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Three-Dimensional Magnifying Visual Information Display System to Support the Daily Activities of the Visually Impaired

Tanaka¹,

Kato²,

Miyasaka³

et al. 2019

International Journal of New Technology and Research

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“…Such systems can be easily integrated into a smart city setting, which make them a suitable candidate for healthcare applications and in particular, for assisted ambient living for the visually impaired. Microsoft has recently launched "Canetroller", a virtual haptic cane, which provides visually impaired users with different types of feedback namely vibrotactile, spatial 3D auditory and resistance feedback in a virtual environment setup [53]. Participants could use the virtual cane to identify virtual objects such as a crossing, a bin or a table in a virtual environment set up in an empty room.…”

Section: Impairedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Participants could use the virtual cane to identify virtual objects such as a crossing, a bin or a table in a virtual environment set up in an empty room. The study showed that Canetroller was a promising tool that enabled visually impaired participants to navigate through virtual spaces and this could help them for orientatio n and mobility training [53].…”

Section: Impairedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Smart Cities to Improve Mobility and Quality of Life of the Visually Impaired

Sobnath

Rehman

Nasralla

2019

EAI/Springer Innovations in Communication and Computing

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The rapid pace of innovation and advances in technological research has given hope to the visually impaired, to find ways to move around smart cities and have a better quality of life (QoL). There are around 110 million people suffering from visual impairments worldwide and research will continue to be adapted to find innovative solutions to provide a journey closer to total accessibility for the visually impaired. It has been identified through various studies that the requirements of people with visual impairment fall into two major categories. Firstly, the ability to recognise people, leading towards social interactions. Secondly, the ability to carry out routine activities seamlessly without any hindrance. Through the use of artific ia l intelligence, availability of data, high bandwidth, large number of connected devices and the collaboration of the citizens in a smart city, the life of the Visually Impaired Persons (VIPs) can be improved by providing them with more independence and safety. Moreover, smart cities also support the concept of sustainable economic growth as well as well-being of its citizens, therefore its development relies on strong ICT infrastructure. With a rise in smartphones, wearable devices, and the surge in the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR)/(AR) have provided aspiration for VIPs to lead a better QoL. A number of studies have already tested the use of these technologie s and have showed optimistic results. The main sectors that could be improved to cater for the visually impaired in smart cities are public areas, transportation systems, and the home systems. This chapter provides a comprehensive review and recommendations on how a smart city can provide a better QoL for the visually impaired in the near future.

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“…An alternative way to explore the environment beforehand is through virtual navigation, for instance by using a combination of audio-haptic feedback or 3D audio [12,18,23,28]. While eforts to make virtual environments more immersive are needed, it is also crucial to ease the creation of real-world representations so that these solutions can be more easily made available to the end users.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hacking Blind Navigation

Guerreiro

Kacorri

Bigham

et al. 2019

Extended Abstracts of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

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Independent navigation in unfamiliar and complex environments is a major challenge for blind people. This challenge motivates a multi-disciplinary efort in the CHI community aimed at developing assistive technologies to support the orientation and mobility of blind people, including related disciplines such as accessible computing, cognitive sciences, computer vision, and ubiquitous computing. This workshop intends to bring these communities together to increase awareness on recent advances in blind navigation assistive technologies, benefit from diverse perspectives and expertises, discuss open research challenges, and explore avenues for multi-disciplinary collaborations. Interactions

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Enabling People with Visual Impairments to Navigate Virtual Reality with a Haptic and Auditory Cane Simulation

Cited by 156 publications

References 44 publications

Development of a Three-Dimensional Magnifying Visual Information Display System to Support the Daily Activities of the Visually Impaired

Development of a Three-Dimensional Magnifying Visual Information Display System to Support the Daily Activities of the Visually Impaired

Smart Cities to Improve Mobility and Quality of Life of the Visually Impaired

Hacking Blind Navigation

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