Development of a Wearable Computer Orientation System

Abstract:

People with severe visual impairment need a means of remaining oriented to their environment as they move through it. A series of indoor and outdoor trials using a variety of technologies and interfaces led to the development and evaluation of three promising wearable orientation interfaces: a virtual sonic beacon, speech output, and a shoulder-tapping system. Street crossing was used as a critical test situation in which to evaluate these interfaces. The shoulder-tapping system was found most universally usable. Results indicated that, given the great variety of co-morbidities within this population, which is comprised of mostly older persons, optimal performance and flexibility may best be obtained in a design that combines the best elements of both the speech and shoulder-tapping interfaces.