title: A navigation aid for the blind using tactile-visual sensory substitution.
abstract: The objective of this study is to improve the quality of life for the visually impaired by restoring their ability to self-navigate. In this paper we describe a compact, wearable device that converts visual information into a tactile signal. This device, constructed entirely from commercially available parts, enables the user to perceive distant objects via a different sensory modality. Preliminary data suggest that this device is useful for object avoidance in simple environments.
authors.affiliation: Biomed. Eng. Program, Arizona Univ., Tucson, AZ, USA. laj1@email.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Lise A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Charles M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Higgins
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001766:Blindness / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology; D012682:Sensory Aids; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex; D013028:Space Perception; D014110:Touch; D014796:Visual Perception; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities