A virtual reality interface to test wearable electronic travel aids for the visually impaired

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Boldini ◽  
Xinda Ma ◽  
John-Ross Rizzo ◽  
Maurizio Porfiri
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Wearable Electronic ◽  
Electronic Travel Aids

scholarly journals Learning Through Virtual Environment

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6S2) ◽  
pp. 232-235
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Speech Synthesis ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Learning Skill ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Different Levels

The evolution of the technology takes the education to next level, where it makes the learning process more interesting and attractive. The Virtual Reality plays an important role in this evolution. The main aim of this work is to enhance the learning ability in students through virtual environment by developing an education based game. In this work, the virtual reality device-Wii mote has been used for the learning process, and also for answering the questions in the different levels of game. The learning process also involves the speech synthesis. This helps the visually impaired people to learn without others help and it also motivates even the average students to participate more actively in learning process. The game has been further divided as easy, medium and difficult levels. So the learning ability of each student can be easily tested and further steps can be taken in order to motivate them, and to optimize their learning skill. Thus, this work motivates the students for learning and to exalt their learning ability.

scholarly journals Two Decades of Touchable and Walkable Virtual Reality for Blind and Visually Impaired People: A High-Level Taxonomy

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Julian Kreimeier ◽  
Timo Götzelmann
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Survey Paper ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
High Level

Although most readers associate the term virtual reality (VR) with visually appealing entertainment content, this technology also promises to be helpful to disadvantaged people like blind or visually impaired people. While overcoming physical objects’ and spaces’ limitations, virtual objects and environments that can be spatially explored have a particular benefit. To give readers a complete, clear and concise overview of current and past publications on touchable and walkable audio supplemented VR applications for blind and visually impaired users, this survey paper presents a high-level taxonomy to cluster the work done up to now from the perspective of technology, interaction and application. In this respect, we introduced a classification into small-, medium- and large-scale virtual environments to cluster and characterize related work. Our comprehensive table shows that especially grounded force feedback devices for haptic feedback (‘small scale’) were strongly researched in different applications scenarios and mainly from an exocentric perspective, but there are also increasingly physically (‘medium scale’) or avatar-walkable (‘large scale’) egocentric audio-haptic virtual environments. In this respect, novel and widespread interfaces such as smartphones or nowadays consumer grade VR components represent a promising potential for further improvements. Our survey paper provides a database on related work to foster the creation process of new ideas and approaches for both technical and methodological aspects.

scholarly journals Current Use and Future Perspectives of Spatial Audio Technologies in Electronic Travel Aids

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Spagnol ◽  
György Wersényi ◽  
Michał Bujacz ◽  
Oana Bălan ◽  
Marcelo Herrera Martínez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
User Requirements ◽  
Spatial Audio ◽  
Audio Cues ◽  
Current State ◽  
Spatial Sound ◽  
Auditory Representation ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons ◽  
Electronic Travel Aids ◽  
Audio Technologies

Electronic travel aids (ETAs) have been in focus since technology allowed designing relatively small, light, and mobile devices for assisting the visually impaired. Since visually impaired persons rely on spatial audio cues as their primary sense of orientation, providing an accurate virtual auditory representation of the environment is essential. This paper gives an overview of the current state of spatial audio technologies that can be incorporated in ETAs, with a focus on user requirements. Most currently available ETAs either fail to address user requirements or underestimate the potential of spatial sound itself, which may explain, among other reasons, why no single ETA has gained a widespread acceptance in the blind community. We believe there is ample space for applying the technologies presented in this paper, with the aim of progressively bridging the gap between accessibility and accuracy of spatial audio in ETAs.

scholarly journals Quantifying the impact on navigation performance in visually impaired: Auditory information loss versus information gain enabled through electronic travel aids

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. e0196156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Kreilinger ◽  
Thomas Georgi ◽  
Gudrun Pregartner ◽  
Domagoj Ivastinovic ◽  
Tamara Pichler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Information Gain ◽  
Information Loss ◽  
Auditory Information ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Electronic Travel Aids

scholarly journals Multi Ultrasonic Electronic Travel Aids (MU-ETA) Sebagai Alat Bantu Penunjuk Jalan Bagi Tuna Netra

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
Mujtahid Aktanto
Keyword(s):  
Error Rate ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
T Test ◽  
Electronic Travel Aids

AbstrakTujuan dari penulisan jurnal ini adalah untuk mendesain sebuah instrument berupa Electronic Travel Aids (ETA) yang dapat mendeteksi halangan pada 3 bagian tubuh sekaligus yaitu bagian kepala, dada dan kaki. ETA ini berbasis Mikrokontroler ATMEGA32 dan menggunakan sensor ultrasonik HC-SR04. Multi Ultrasonik Electronic Tavel Aids ini digunakan sebagai alat pemandu bagi penderita tuna netra. Dalam mengukur ketepatan jarak baca terhadap halangan, kalibrasi dari sensor ultrasonik HC-SR04 sangat diperlukan. Data yang telah di uji dari masing-masing sensor dihitung untuk mendapat hasil error rate dan standart deviasi. Dan terakhir, data-data tersebut diolah pada stastistik dan dihitung dengan kalkulasi menggunakan metode uji T-Test berpasangan agar mendapatkan hasil sesuai dengan jarak yang ada.Sesuai dengan hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa sensor HC-SR04 dapat diteima sebagai pengganti alat pengukuran jarak dikarenakan hasil pembacaan Error Rate dan standart deviasi.pada alat. Setelah sensor ultrasonic dapat diterima sebagai alat untuk mengukur jarak, baru dibuat logika output berdasarkan sensor yang ada agar dapat mengenali benda yang ada di depan.Kata kunci—3-5 mikrokontroler, ATMEGA32, Ultrasonik  Sensor, Tuna Netra, Visually Impaired, Electronic Tavel Aids(ETA) Halangan/Obstacle

Results of a National Survey of Electronic Travel Aid Use

1989 ◽  
Vol 83 (9) ◽  
pp. 449-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.B. Blasch ◽  
R.G. Long ◽  
N. Griffin-Shirley
Keyword(s):  
National Survey ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Laser Beams ◽  
Body Level ◽  
Impaired User ◽  
Electronic Travel Aids

Electronic travel aids (ETAs) emit laser beams or high-frequency auditory waves that are reflected from nearby objects. These reflections are received by the ETA and converted to signals that the visually impaired user can perceive and interpret. After reviewing the literature on ETAs, the authors present the results of their survey on the use of and the problems associated with four types of ETAs. They report that the participants in the survey associated aid use with more rapid travel and feelings of safety and confidence in traveling, and that the most frequently used ETAs were the Laser Cane and the Mowat Sensor. These aids were found to be most useful in detecting pedestrians, and obstacles at head and body level.

scholarly journals Design and Evaluation of a Protocol to assess Electronic Travel Aids for Persons who are Visually Impaired

2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Else M. Havik ◽  
Frank J. J. M. Steyvers ◽  
Hanneke van der Velde ◽  
J. Christiaan Pinkster ◽  
Aart C. Kooijman
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Electronic Travel Aids

A multisensor electronic traveling aid for the visually impaired

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Abimbola M. Jubril ◽  
Segun J. Samuel
Keyword(s):  
Edge Detection ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Laser Light ◽  
Laser Source ◽  
Ultrasonic Sensing ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Wearable Electronic ◽  
Mobility Aid ◽  
Fusion Approach ◽  
Red Line

BACKGROUND: This paper considered the development of a wearable electronic mobility aid. METHODS: The developed system is based on the multisensor fusion approach of detection which combined three techniques, namely: a source of laser light, a camera and an ultrasonic sensor. A red line generating laser source is used to project a straight line and this is captured by the camera. The red line is deformed differently on coming in contact with holes or standing obstacles. The pattern of deformation is then extracted for obstacle and pothole recognition. The visibility of laser light is greatly reduced when the scene is extremely illuminated, so this is complemented with edge detection. The edge detection uses edges in the identification of holes and obstacles. This is combined with ultrasonic sensing, so that the presence of obstacles can be differentiated from that of holes. The outcome of detection and the distance of obstacles from the blind are relayed via an audio cue. REDULTS: Its evaluation showed better performance compared to the guide cane. It showed a reduction in collision rate by 83.25% and reduction in falling rate by 84.62%. The device received good acceptability from the users.

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