Low-Resolution Supplementary Tactile Cues for Navigational Assistance

Abstract

In this paper we present a mobile navigation device ‘displaying’ supplementary personalized direction cues by means of a tactile representation. Our prototype, the TactGuide, is operated by subtle tactile inspection and designed to complement the use of our visual, auditory and kinesthetic senses in the process of way finding. Preliminary experiments indicate that users readily map low-resolution tactile cues to spatial directions and that TactGuide successfully can be operated as a supplement to, and without compromising, the use of our existing way finding abilities.