Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Interactive mixed reality white cane simulation for the training of the blind and the visually impaired

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Personal and Ubiquitous Computing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper presents a mixed reality tool developed for the training of the visually impaired based on haptic and auditory feedback. The proposed approach focuses on the development of a highly interactive and extensible Haptic Mixed Reality training system that allows visually impaired to navigate into real size Virtual Reality environments. The system is based on the use of the CyberGrasp™ haptic device. An efficient collision detection algorithm based on superquadrics is also integrated into the system so as to allow real time collision detection in complex environments. A set of evaluation tests is designed in order to identify the importance of haptic, auditory and multimodal feedback and to compare the MR cane against the existing Virtual Reality cane simulation system.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Burdea GC, Coiffet P (2003) Virtual reality technology, 2nd edn. Wiley-IEEE, New York

  2. Colwell C, Petrie H, Kornbrot D, Hardwick A, Furner S (1998) Haptic virtual reality for blind computer users. In: Proceedings of annual ACM conference on assistive technologies (ASSETS ‘98), pp 92–99

  3. Burdea GC (1994) Force and touch feedback for virtual reality. Wiley–Interscience Publication, New York

  4. Sjostrom C (1999) Touch access for people with disabilities, Licentiate Thesis. CERTEC Lund University, Sweden

  5. Sjostrom C (2001) Designing haptic computer interfaces for blind people. In: Proceedings of ISSPA 2001, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

  6. Sjostrom C (2001) Using Haptics in Computer Interfaces for Blind People. In: Proceedings of CHI 2001, Seattle, USA

  7. Scoy V, Kawai I, Darrah S, Rash F (2000) Haptic display of mathematical functions for teaching mathematics to students with vision disabilities. In: Haptic human–computer interaction workshop

  8. Penn P, Petrie H, Colwell C, Kornbrot D, Furner S, Hardwick A (2000) The perception of texture, object size and angularity by touch in virtual environments with two haptic devices. In: Haptic human–computer interaction workshop

  9. Fritz JP, Barner KE (1999) Design of a haptic data visualisation system for people with visual impairments. IEEE Trans Rehabil Eng 7(3):372–384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Grabowski NA, Barner KE (1998) Data Visualisation Methods for the Blind Using Force Feedback and Sonification. In: Proceedings of SPIE—the International Society for Optical Engineering, vol 3524, pp 131–139

  11. Van Scoy F, Kawai T, Darrah M, Rash C (2000) Haptic display of mathematical functions for teaching mathematics to students with vision disabilities: design and proof of concept. In: Haptic human–computer interaction. Springer LNCS, vol 2058, pp 31–40

  12. Lecuyer A, Mobuchon P, Megard Ch, Perret J, Andriot C, Colinot JP (2003) HOMERE: a multimodal system for visually impaired people to explore virtual environments. In: IEEE Virtual Reality Conference 2003 (VR’03), p. 251

  13. Tzovaras D, Nikolakis G, Fergadis G, Malasiotis S, Stavrakis M (2004) Design and implementation of haptic virtual environments for the training of visually impaired. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 12(2):266–278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Immersion Technologies Inc. (2000) Virtual Hand Suite 2000: user and programmer guides. http://www.immersion.com/3d/products/virtualhand_sdk.php

  15. Larsen E, Gottschalk S, Lin MC, Manocha D (1999) Fast proximity queries with swept sphere volumes. Technical report TR99-018, Department of Computer Science, UNC Chapel Hill. http://www.cs.unc.edu/ ∼geom/SSV/, PQP

  16. Moustakas K, Nikolakis G, Tzovaras D, Strintzis MG (2005) Haptic feedback using an efficient superquadric based collision detection method. In: First joint eurohaptics conference and symposium on haptic interfaces for virtual environment and teleoperator systems, Pisa

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work has been conducted in conjunction with the “SIMILAR” European Network of Excellence on Multimodal Interfaces of the IST Programme of the European Union (http://www.similar.cc) and the “INTUITION” European Network of Excellence on Virtual Reality and Virtual Environment Applications for Future Workspaces.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Informatics and Telematics Institute, 1st Km Thermi-Panorama Road, 57001, Thermi-Thessaloniki, Greece

    Dimitrios Tzovaras, Konstantinos Moustakas, Georgios Nikolakis & Michael G. Strintzis

  2. Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54006, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Konstantinos Moustakas & Michael G. Strintzis

Authors
  1. Dimitrios Tzovaras
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Konstantinos Moustakas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Georgios Nikolakis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Michael G. Strintzis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dimitrios Tzovaras.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tzovaras, D., Moustakas, K., Nikolakis, G. et al. Interactive mixed reality white cane simulation for the training of the blind and the visually impaired. Pers Ubiquit Comput 13, 51–58 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-007-0171-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-007-0171-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation