Intelligent Mobility Cane - Lessons Learned from Evaluation of Obstacle Notification System using a Haptic Approach

Existing smart cane prototypes provide audio and/or haptic feedback to inform people who are blind or visually impaired about upcoming obstacles. However, limited user research is conducted to evaluate the usefulness of the haptic feedback provided by these devices. To better understand the users' perceptions of haptic feedback, we developed a smart cane prototype called Intelligent Mobility Cane (IMC) that consists of 2 haptic vibrators on the handle. They are used to inform different parts of the user's hand that an obstacle is detected. 8 people who are blind and 3 people who have low vision explored the IMC's handset by navigating an indoor obstacle path. The participants provided their feedback on the IMC's haptic notification system with regards to the intensity of the vibration and location of the vibrators and discussed various scenarios where the feedback will or will not be useful to them. In this case study, IMC handle design recommendations based on the participant's feedback and suggestions are presented.