A Haptic-Audio Interface for Acquiring Spatial Knowledge about Apartments

In selecting an apartment for residence, floor plans are a common source of relevant information. For visually impaired people, adequate floor plans are widely missing. This paper introduces a haptic-audio assistance system, which is designed and implemented to help visually impaired people to acquire the layout of novel small-scale apartments. Virtual 2.5-D floor plan models are made according to--traditional visual--floor plans. Haptic force feedback will be rendered when users explore the virtual model by a PHANToM Omni device. During the exploration, auditory assistance information about floor plans, either by speech or by sonification, is invoked by entering into prescribed areas, which are placed on the inner contour of rooms. Two user studies are presented which demonstrate the usability of the haptic-audio interface. In particular, reinforcement and extra positive influence brought by the employment of multiple modes in audio perception channel is confirmed.

[1]  Constantine Stephanidis,et al.  The Universal Access Handbook , 2009 .

[2]  M. A. Espinosa,et al.  Comparing Methods for Introducing Blind and Visually Impaired People to Unfamiliar Urban Environments , 1998 .

[3]  Toru Ishikawa,et al.  Perception and Conceptualization of House Floor Plans: An Experimental Analysis , 2011 .

[4]  Helen Petrie,et al.  Providing interactive access to architectural floorplans for blind people , 2006 .

[5]  Bruce N. Walker,et al.  Auditory Interfaces and Sonification , 2009, The Universal Access Handbook.

[6]  Stephan Winter,et al.  Spatial Information Theory, 8th International Conference, COSIT 2007, Melbourne, Australia, September 19-23, 2007, Proceedings , 2007, COSIT.

[7]  Baoxin Li,et al.  Instant tactile-audio map: enabling access to digital maps for people with visual impairment , 2009, Assets '09.

[8]  R. Klatzky,et al.  Similarity of Tactual and Visual Picture Recognition with Limited Field of View , 1991, Perception.

[9]  J. V. Bradley.  Complete Counterbalancing of Immediate Sequential Effects in a Latin Square Design , 1958 .

[10]  Jonathan C. Roberts,et al.  Review of Designs for Haptic Data Visualization , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Haptics.

[11]  Kirsten Rassmus-Gröhn,et al.  User Centered Design of Non-Visual Audio-Haptics , 2008 .

[12]  Christopher Habel,et al.  Verbal Assistance in Tactile-Map Explorations: A Case for Visual Representations and Reasoning , 2010, Visual Representations and Reasoning.

[13]  David Mioduser,et al.  Haptic-feedback support for cognitive mapping of unknown spaces by people who are blind , 2008, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud..

[14]  Martha Flanders,et al.  Multiple Factors Underlying Haptic Perception of Length and Orientation , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Haptics.

[15]  Stephen A. Brewster,et al.  Audio Bubbles: Employing Non-speech Audio to Support Tourist Wayfinding , 2009, HAID.

[16]  Wolfgang L. Zagler,et al.  Computers Helping People with Special Needs, 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010, Vienna, Austria, July 14-16, 2010, Proceedings, Part II , 2010, ICCHP.

[17]  Charlotte Magnusson,et al.  Phantom-based haptic line graphics for blind persons , 2003 .

[18]  Charlotte Magnusson,et al.  A virtual traffic environment for people with visual impairments , 2005 .

[19]  Christopher Habel,et al.  Linking Spatial Haptic Perception to Linguistic Representations: Assisting Utterances for Tactile-Map Explorations , 2011, COSIT.

[20]  Gerhard Weber,et al.  Audio-Haptic Browser for a Geographical Information System , 2010, ICCHP.

[21]  Christopher Habel,et al.  Extended Verbal Assistance Facilitates Knowledge Acquisition of Virtual Tactile Maps , 2012, Spatial Cognition.

[22]  Rolf Nordahl,et al.  Haptic and Audio Interaction Design - 5th International Workshop, HAID 2010, Copenhagen, Denmark, September 16-17, 2010. Proceedings , 2010, HAID.

[23]  Barbara Tversky,et al.  Cognitive Maps, Cognitive Collages, and Spatial Mental Models , 1993, COSIT.