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Using virtual reality for a controlled evaluation of a haptic navigation wearable for people with a visual impairment

Yeung, T. (2021) Using virtual reality for a controlled evaluation of a haptic navigation wearable for people with a visual impairment.

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Abstract:Visually impaired people are currently severely limited in their ability to navigate their surroundings, outside the range of conventional aids like white canes. As such, a haptic navigation wearable is proposed which attempts to improve the mobility of these people by giving them more information on objects outside of their cane’s reach. This wearable is capable of detecting and identifying objects and can be used by visually impaired people to find specific navigationally significant objects such as pedestrian crossings, doors, and stairs. In order to evaluate such a device, a reliable, reproducible, and safe way of evaluation is required. This project presents the usage of VR peripherals, digital environments mapped to real-life environments, and automation as a way to test and evaluate such a device. The evaluation of the haptic wearable using this VR method has shown that, while limited in scope, this wearable shows a proof of concept, allowing users to better understand their environment. For future works, it is proposed that more development is done on the haptic language, the portability of the device, and the implementation of non-euclidean spaces to map large virtual environments to smaller real-life test areas.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
Subject:50 technical science in general, 54 computer science
Programme:Creative Technology BSc (50447)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/88447
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