Sole based tactile information display for visually impaired pedestrian navigation

Abstract

Well understanding guidance instructions when using an electronic orientation aids is vital for people with visual impairments to reach destinations or avoid obstacles and hazards. In this paper we describes a study about how to make use of a tactile sole with 5 vibrators to present spatial information for visually impaired people while using an electronic orientation aid. We designed and evaluated a sole based tactile information display that delivers directional information in real time through shoes. A Wizard-of-Oz preliminary evaluation with 2 blindfolded subjects has been conducted. Result shows that designed haptic sole is a safer, non-intrusive and promising approach that can be used to simplify guidance instructions.