Younger and older adults with low vision have similar haptic capabilities and needs in 3D virtual navigation

More than 82% of the population with visual impairment consist of older adults (50 years and over), with the largest cause being age-related vision loss in individuals 65 and over. There are various assistive technologies (for instance, haptic technology) that older adults with low vision rely on to achieve greater independence in everyday life. We applied brain-plasticity theory to understand how both younger and older adults with low vision use haptic perception and its effect on their perceived needs for haptic user interfaces (HUIs) for computer navigation. Study 1 measured older and younger adults’ haptic perception and Study 2 explored the HUI needs. We found no difference between the two age groups in terms of haptic perception or perceived haptic computer-interface needs.

[1]  J. Collins,et al.  Vibrating insoles and balance control in elderly people , 2003, The Lancet.

[2]  S. Sawilowsky.  Nonparametric Tests of Interaction in Experimental Design , 1990 .

[4]  B Phillips,et al.  Predictors of assistive technology abandonment. , 1993, Assistive technology : the official journal of RESNA.

[5]  David A. Ross.  Cyber crumbs for successful aging with vision loss , 2004, IEEE Pervasive Computing.

[6]  Thomas A. Ranney,et al.  The Effects of Age and Target Location Uncertainty on Decision Making in a Simulated Driving Task , 1992 .

[7]  R W Cholewiak,et al.  Vibrotactile threshold in young and old observers: the effects of spatial summation and the presence of a rigid surround. , 1996, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[8]  D. Bennett,et al.  Cognitive activity and cognitive decline in a biracial community population , 2003, Neurology.

[9]  Joseph Jastrow.  The Dreams of the Blind , 1888 .

[10]  Peter Robinson,et al.  Designing accessible technology , 2006, Universal Access in the Information Society.

[11]  T. Salthouse.  The processing-speed theory of adult age differences in cognition. , 1996, Psychological review.

[12]  C. Lord,et al.  APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY , 1984 .

[13]  Hyung Nam Kim,et al.  Usable Accessibility and Haptic User Interface Design Approach , 2010 .

[14]  Mary Ann Mroczka.  Effects of Study Modality and Study Order on Learning Braille and Other Haptic Alphabets Used by Blind Persons , 2005 .

[15]  B. S. Hoppestad,et al.  Inadequacies in computer access using assistive technology devices in profoundly disabled individuals: An overview of the current literature , 2007, Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technology.

[16]  Neil Charness,et al.  Impact of technology on successful aging , 2003 .

[17]  A. Baddeley.  Working Memory, Thought, and Action , 2007 .

[18]  Wendy A. Rogers.  Designing for an aging population : ten years of human factors/ergonomics research , 1997 .

[19]  D. Kenshalo.  Somesthetic sensitivity in young and elderly humans. , 1986, Journal of gerontology.

[20]  S J Bolanowski,et al.  Subjective magnitude of tactile roughness. , 1999, Somatosensory & motor research.

[21]  Harry T. Lawless,et al.  CONTEXT EFFECTS AND REFERENCE STANDARDS WITH MAGNITUDE ESTIMATION AND THE LABELED MAGNITUDE SCALE , 2001 .

[22]  A. Streri,et al.  Touching for knowing : cognitive psychology of haptic manual perception , 2003 .

[23]  T. Salthouse.  Mechanisms of Age Cognition Relations in Adulthood , 1992 .

[24]  Hyung Nam Kim,et al.  Haptic user interface design for students with visual impairments , 2009, Assets '09.

[25]  S. Bolanowski,et al.  Four channels mediate the mechanical aspects of touch. , 1988, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[26]  Ian Sommerville,et al.  Software Co-design with Older People , 2006 .

[27]  Robert E. Llaneras,et al.  Older Commercial Vehicle Drivers: Abilities, Age, and Driving Performance , 1996 .

[28]  Hans V. Bjelland,et al.  User-Centered Design Proposals for Prototyping Haptic User Interfaces , 2007, HAID.

[29]  S. S. Stevens.  Issues in psychophysical measurement. , 1971 .

[30]  M. Merzenich,et al.  Brain plasticity and functional losses in the aged: scientific bases for a novel intervention. , 2006, Progress in brain research.