This paper presents a systematic literature review that reflects the current state of research in the field of algorithms and models for map generalization, the existing solutions for automatic (tactile) map generation, as well as good practices for...
There are multiple studies demonstrating that 3D printed maps are important to people with blindness. When designed properly, they help users by improving safety and mobility and allow people with blindness to efficiently learn spatial information fr...
There are still relatively few applications that serve the function of a traditional tactile map, allowing visually impaired individuals to explore a digital map by sliding their fingers across it. Moreover, existing technological solutions either la...
Background: When exploring audio-tactile nautical charts without vision, users could trigger vocal announcements of a seamark’s name thanks to video tracking. In a first condition they could simply use a green sticker fastened at the tip of a f...
Despite the growing efficiency of the map-design process in general, tactile mapping has remained peripheral to mainstream cartography. For a specific group of people with visual impairment, however, tactile maps are the only effective way to obtain...
Much attention is currently being paid to developing universally designed solutions. Tactile maps, designed for people with visual impairments (PVI), require both graphic and tactile content. While many more- or less-official guidelines regarding tac...
We present and evaluate the concept of FeelMusic and evaluate an implementation of it. It is an augmentation of music through the haptic translation of core musical elements. Music and touch are intrinsic modes of affective communication that are phy...
Tactile maps are widely recognized as useful tools for mobility training and the rehabilitation of visually impaired individuals. However, current tactile maps lack real-time versatility and are limited because of high manufacturing and design costs....
A map, being a scaled-down image of a fragment of the Earth, reflects the actual relationships between objects in a way that allows for comprehensive exploration of large areas. In particular, a map is an ideal tool for exploring the layout of histor...
Digital audio–tactile maps (DATMs) on touchscreen devices provide valuable opportunities for people who are visually impaired (PVIs) to explore the spatial environment for engaging in travel activities. Existing solutions for DATMs usually requ...
Autonomous navigation in novel environments still represents a challenge for people with visual impairment (VI). Pin array matrices (PAM) are an effective way to display spatial information to VI people in educative/rehabilitative contexts, as they p...
Utilizing tactile sensors embedded in intelligent mats is an attractive non-intrusive approach for human motion analysis. Interpreting tactile pressure 2D maps for accurate posture estimation poses significant challenges, such as dealing with data sp...
In this paper, we propose an active touch sensing algorithm designed for robust hole localization in 3D objects, specifically aimed at assembly tasks such as peg-in-hole operations. Unlike general object detection algorithms, our solution is tailored...
Tactile maps designed for individuals with blindness can greatly improve their mobility, safety and access to new locations. While 3D-printed maps have already been demonstrated to be a powerful tool for delivering spatial information, they might not...
The appeal of a car’s exterior often captures a customer’s initial attention, but the interior ultimately seals the deal, creating a lasting connection between the customer and car. The interior quality plays a significant role in shaping...
Automatic extraction of salient regions is beneficial for various computer vision applications, such as image segmentation and object recognition. The salient visual information across images is very useful and plays a significant role for the visual...
The wide availability of 3D-printers makes possible the simple creation of tactile maps for individuals with blindness. However, to be useful, these maps have to be designed using feedback from the future users. In this study, we worked with fifteen...
Exploring geographic maps on touchscreens is a difficult task in the absence of vision as those devices miss tactile cues. Prior research has therefore introduced non-visual interaction techniques designed to allow visually impaired people to explore...
Minimally Invasive Surgery is often limited by the lack of tactile feedback. Indeed, surgeons have traditionally relied heavily on tactile feedback to estimate tissue stiffness - a critical factor in both diagnostics and treatment. With this in mind...
Over the last few decades, a growing number of studies have used wearable technologies, such as inertial and pressure sensors, to investigate various domains of music experience, from performance to education. In this paper, we systematically review...
This paper introduces the design of a novel indoor and outdoor mobility assistance system for visually impaired people. This system is named the MAPS (Mobility Assistance Path Planning and orientation in Space), and it is based on the theoretical fra...
This article describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of vibrotactile concert furniture, aiming to improve the live music experience of people with hearing loss using hearing technology such as cochlear implants (CI). The system was the r...
With the advancement of tactile sensors, researchers increasingly integrate tactile perception into robotics, but only for tasks such as object reconstruction, classification, recognition, and grasp state assessment. In this paper, we rethink the rel...
Visually impaired people can take advantage of multimodal systems in which visual information is communicated through different modes of interaction and types of feedback. Among the possible interaction modes, thermal interaction in the context of as...
This study seeks to demonstrate that a navigation system using stereophonic sound technology is effective in supporting visually impaired people in public spaces. In the proposed method, stereophonic sound is produced by a pair of parametric speakers...
Decoupling research on flexible tactile sensors play a very important role in the intelligent robot skin and tactile-sensing fields. In this paper, an efficient machine learning method based on the improved back-propagation (BP) algorithm is proposed...
Tactile sensing is important for robots to perceive the world as it captures the physical surface properties of the object with which it is in contact and is robust to illumination and colour variances. However, due to the limited sensing area and th...
In this work, we presented a novel encoding method for tactile communication. This approach was based on several tactile sensory characteristics of human skin at different body parts, such as the head and neck, where location coordinates in the three...
This review aims to discuss the inkjet printing technique as a fabrication method for the development of large-area tactile sensors. The paper focuses on the manufacturing techniques and various system-level sensor design aspects related to the inkje...
“Out of the body” tactile illusion refers to the phenomenon in which one can perceive tactility as if emanating from a location external to the body without any stimulator present there. Taking advantage of such a tactile illusion is one way to provi...
An optical tactile sensor technique with 3-dimension (3-D) surface reconstruction is proposed for robotic fingers. The hardware of the tactile sensor consists of a surface deformation sensing layer, an image sensor and four individually controlled fl...
This paper proposes a kinesthetic–tactile fusion feedback system based on virtual interaction. Combining the results of human fingertip deformation characteristics analysis and an upper limb motion mechanism, a fingertip tactile feedback device...
Visually impaired people (VIP) feel a lack of aid for their facilitated urban mobility, mainly due to obstacles encountered on their routes. This paper describes the design of AudioMaps, a prototype of cartographic technology for mobile devices. Audi...
Tactile sensing plays an important role for robots’ perception, but the existing tactile technologies have multiple limitations. Visual-tactile sensor (VTS) is a newly developed tactile detector; it perceives the contacting surface shape, or ev...
The sense of touch is fundamental for a one-to-one mapping between the environment and a robot that physically interacts with the environment. Herein, we describe a tactile fingertip design that can robustly detect interaction forces given data colle...
There are 24.5 million visually impaired and blind (VIB) students who have limited access to educational materials due to cost or availability. Although advancement in technology is prevalent, providing individualized learning using technology remain...
Given that most cues exchanged during a social interaction are nonverbal (e.g., facial expressions, hand gestures, body language), individuals who are blind are at a social disadvantage compared to their sighted peers. Very little work has explored s...
A slim and flexible tactile sensor applicable to the interaction of human and intelligent robots is presented. In particular, a simple sensing principle for decoupling of three-dimensional force is proposed. Sensitivity of the proposed tactile sensor...
At a construction site, workers mainly rely on two senses, which are sight and sound, in order to perceive their physical surroundings. However, they are often hindered by the nature of most construction sites, which are usually dynamic, loud, and co...
Robotic assembly, particularly peg-in-hole tasks, presents significant challenges in uncertain environments where pose deviations, varying peg shapes, and environmental noise can undermine performance. To address these issues, this paper proposes a n...
Tactile pavings (Tenji Blocks) are prone to wear, obstruction, and improper installation, posing significant safety risks for visually impaired pedestrians. This system incorporates a lightweight YOLOv8 (You Only Look Once version 8) model for real-t...
Flexible magnetic-field-based tactile sensors (FMFTS) have numerous advantages including low cost, ease of manufacture, simple wiring, high sensitivity, and so on. Flexible magnetic-field-based tactile sensors need to be calibrated before use to buil...
Guidance systems for visually impaired persons have become a popular topic in recent years. Existing guidance systems on the market typically utilize auxiliary tools and methods such as GPS, UWB, or a simple white cane that exploits the user’s...
This paper addresses the issue of robotic haptic exploration of 3D objects using an enhanced model of visual attention, where the latter is applied to obtain a sequence of eye fixations on the surface of objects guiding the haptic exploratory procedu...
In this article, we report on a novel diaphragm-type tactile pressure sensor that produces stepwise output currents depending on varying low contact pressures. When contact pressures are applied to the stepped output tactile sensor (SOTS), the sensor...
14 March 2020
Background: The study of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has traditionally focused on deficit of inhibitory control and cognitive impulsivity. However, the pathophysiology of ADHD has also been associated with the somatosensory cortex...
Altered somatosensory function is common among stroke survivors, yet is often poorly characterized. Methods of profiling somatosensation that illustrate the variability in impairment within and across different modalities remain limited. We aimed to...
In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, human–machine interaction has become an issue that should be systematically explored. This research aimed to examine the impact of different pre-cue modes (visual, auditory, and tactile...
The natural environment and our interaction with it are essentially multisensory, where we may deploy visual, tactile and/or auditory senses to perceive, learn and interact with our environment. Our objective in this study is to develop a scene analy...
The ultrasonic phased array as an emerging interactive tool is increasingly used for aerial tactile interaction. However, there is almost no method to achieve remote variable force feedback through the ultrasonic phased array as far as we know. This...
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