Thanks, Christina. I'm impressed at the fertile imaginations of any
inventor and am thankful for those new creations that may make life
easier for anyone, including us blind guys.
Jan
On 9/22/15, Christina Stolze <christinastolze@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thanks to Blind Bargains for this link:You are invited to visit the moderator's Web site at WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
Thanks to Blind Bargains for the link to this article:
http://www.engineering.com/DesignerEdge/DesignerEdgeArticles/ArticleID/10649
/Haptic-Device-Offers-GPS-Navigation-for-the-Blind.aspx
Article to follow:
A new handheld navigation device using haptics (the sense of touch) shows
potential to assist the visually impaired find their way around.
Engineer Adam Spiers, a post-doc associate at the Yale University robotics
lab, created the handheld, shapeshifting cube which he calls the "Haptic
Sandwich."
The top half of the cube twists to indicate a change of direction, and
extends forward to indicate the distance required to reach the destination.
Users know they have reached their destination once the shape has returned
to its original home position.
The Haptic Sandwich changes shape to direct users. Image courtesy Yale
University.
Spiers primarily built the device using a research grade Stratys Fortus 3D
printer capable of printing dissolvable support material. This allowed him
to design and build more intricate features for the internal mechanisms.
Printing elements of the gear transmissions directly onto the device parts
reduced both the number of parts and the overall size of the device. This
also allowed the necessary increased force and torque output from the servo
actuators to enable device operation even in a tight grip.
The Haptic Sandwich is carefully designed to prevent places the user could
get their fingers pinched during device movement.
Spiers said building the device took some trial and error because there was
little precedent for it.
One of the great things about designing and building the device with a 3D
printer, according to Spiers, was that whenever he made mechanical
improvements to the device, he could easily email a part file to his
collaborators at Open University in the UK.
"They could then print out the new part and swap it out in their haptic
device. This was also great for making copies of the device and having
spare
parts on hand," he said.
In terms of maintenance or repair, the Haptic Sandwich is designed to be
dismantled and rebuilt simply and quickly, without requiring any special
engineering skills. This feature makes the device particularly appealing
for potential consumer use.
The tool has already seen use within an interactive theatre production
based
on Edwin A. Abbott's novel Flatland, in which it was called by the name
"Animotus."
Audience members with and without visual impairments were kept in complete
darkness as they wandered through the performance space. As the audience
moved about, a spoken narrative and sound effects told the story.
The Haptic Sandwich in use during the Flatland performance. Image courtesy
of Yale University.
For the purposes of the theatre production, Spiers created an indoor
GPS-like positioning system, which tracked people's movements using a radio
frequency-based localization system and tilt-compensated magnetometers
(digital compasses) in a wearable suit.
A similar set up could be very useful within the home of a recently blinded
individual.
Each haptic device communicated wirelessly with a laptop that managed the
navigation system through custom software.
Overall, the system achieved similar accuracy to what is expected from
satellite GPS.
"I'd like to try this for the outdoors," Spiers said. "Hook it up to Google
Maps and see what happens." Having the device connected to GPS mapping
services could allow navigation to any destination the user has the
location
or coordinates for, in both urban and natural environments.
Spiers also thinks Haptic Sandwich devices have the potential to guide
sighted and visually impaired hikers effectively and accurately, while
remaining unobtrusive and easy to operate. He believes too many haptic
devices rely on vibration, which can be annoying or use audio cues that can
be distracting for people with visual impairments.
More information on the Haptic Sandwich is available through the Yale
University Grab Lab <http://www.eng.yale.edu/grablab/pubs.html>
__._,_.___
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing".
Helen Keller
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