Improving Tactile Map Usability through 3D Printing Techniques: An Experiment with New Tactile Symbols

This paper shows an experiment with tactile maps designed for visually impaired persons. Tests were carried out on a tactile map produced with 3D printing and including a new type of tactile symbols, volumetric symbols (3D). These symbols are localized faster than conventional flat relief symbols, with the same error rate, an improvement in the use of these tactile devices. Moreover, following tests, differences were found between types of participants with blind participants generally carrying out the proposed tasks better than the rest of users.

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