Haptic-audio simulator for visually impaired indoor exploration

Purpose – VirtuNav is a haptic-, audio-enabled virtual reality simulator that facilitates persons with visual impairment to explore a 3D computer model of a real-life indoor location, such as a room or building. The purpose of this paper is to aid in pre-planning and spatial awareness, for a user to become more familiar with the environment prior to experiencing it in reality. Design/methodology/approach – The system offers two unique interfaces: a free-roam interface where the user can navigate, and an edit mode where the administrator can manage test users, maps and retrieve test data. Findings – System testing reveals that spatial awareness and memory mapping improve with user iterations within VirtuNav. Research limitations/implications – VirtuNav is a research tool for investigation of user familiarity developed after repeated exposure to the simulator, to determine the extent to which haptic and/or sound cues improve a visually impaired user’s ability to navigate a room or building with or without o...