scholarly journals Current Use and Future Perspectives of Spatial Audio Technologies in Electronic Travel Aids

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Spagnol ◽  
György Wersényi ◽  
Michał Bujacz ◽  
Oana Bălan ◽  
Marcelo Herrera Martínez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
User Requirements ◽  
Spatial Audio ◽  
Audio Cues ◽  
Current State ◽  
Spatial Sound ◽  
Auditory Representation ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons ◽  
Electronic Travel Aids ◽  
Audio Technologies

Electronic travel aids (ETAs) have been in focus since technology allowed designing relatively small, light, and mobile devices for assisting the visually impaired. Since visually impaired persons rely on spatial audio cues as their primary sense of orientation, providing an accurate virtual auditory representation of the environment is essential. This paper gives an overview of the current state of spatial audio technologies that can be incorporated in ETAs, with a focus on user requirements. Most currently available ETAs either fail to address user requirements or underestimate the potential of spatial sound itself, which may explain, among other reasons, why no single ETA has gained a widespread acceptance in the blind community. We believe there is ample space for applying the technologies presented in this paper, with the aim of progressively bridging the gap between accessibility and accuracy of spatial audio in ETAs.

Electronic Travel Aids for Blind Persons

1984 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 74-89
Author(s):  
Everett W. Hill ◽  
Anna L. Bradfield
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Blind Persons ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Electronic Travel Aids

This article describes four of the most widely accepted and utilized Electronic Travel Aids—the Lindsay Russell Pathsounder, the Mowat Sensor, the Sonicguide™, and the C-5 Laser Cane. Current uses and applications of the four aids for specific populations of visually impaired persons are discussed. In addition, a research review provides insight into the issues affecting future use of the devices.

scholarly journals Colorophone 2.0: A Wearable Color Sonification Device Generating Live Stereo-Soundscapes—Design, Implementation, and Usability Audit

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (21) ◽  
pp. 7351
Author(s):  
Dominik Osiński ◽  
Marta Łukowska ◽  
Dag Roar Hjelme ◽  
Michał Wierzchoń
Keyword(s):  
Visual Information ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Color Space ◽  
Sensory Substitution ◽  
Visual Environment ◽  
Color Information ◽  
Successful Development ◽  
Usability Tests ◽  
Auditory Representation ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

The successful development of a system realizing color sonification would enable auditory representation of the visual environment. The primary beneficiary of such a system would be people that cannot directly access visual information—the visually impaired community. Despite the plethora of sensory substitution devices, developing systems that provide intuitive color sonification remains a challenge. This paper presents design considerations, development, and the usability audit of a sensory substitution device that converts spatial color information into soundscapes. The implemented wearable system uses a dedicated color space and continuously generates natural, spatialized sounds based on the information acquired from a camera. We developed two head-mounted prototype devices and two graphical user interface (GUI) versions. The first GUI is dedicated to researchers, and the second has been designed to be easily accessible for visually impaired persons. Finally, we ran fundamental usability tests to evaluate the new spatial color sonification algorithm and to compare the two prototypes. Furthermore, we propose recommendations for the development of the next iteration of the system.

Electronic Travel Aids for Blind Persons

1986 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 31-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Everett W. Hill ◽  
Anna L. Bradfield
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Blind Persons ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Electronic Travel Aids

This article describes four of the most widely accepted and utilized Electronic Travel Aids—the Lindsay Russell Pathsounder, the Mowat Sensor, the Sonicguide™, and the C-5 Laser Cane. Current uses and applications of the four aids for specific populations of visually impaired persons are discussed. In addition, a research review provides insight into the issues affecting future use of the devices.

scholarly journals Information Technology and Transcription of Reading Materials for the Visually Impaired Persons in Nigeria

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Nkiko ◽  
Morayo I. Atinmo ◽  
Happiness Chijioke Michael-Onuoha ◽  
Julie E. Ilogho ◽  
Michael O. Fagbohun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Modern Information Technology ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Reading Materials ◽  
Ex Post Facto ◽  
Information Materials ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

Studies have shown inadequate reading materials for the visually impaired in Nigeria. Information technology has greatly advanced the provision of information to the visually impaired in other industrialized climes. This study investigated the extent of application of information technology to the transcription of reading materials for the visually impaired in Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design of the ex-post facto to select 470 personnel as respondents. A questionnaire titled Information Technology Use Scale (α=0.74), and Interview Schedule (α=0.75), were used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The findings indicate that information technology in transcription was low and a significant positive relationship between application of information technology and transcription of information materials (r=0.62: p<0.05). The study recommended among others that Multi-National Corporations should be sensitized to extend their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities to help in procuring modern information technology devices and software to enhance transcription.

scholarly journals A Survey on Mathematical Software Tools for Visually Impaired Persons: A Practical Perspective

IEEE Access ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Paul Mejia ◽  
Luiz Cesar Martini ◽  
Felipe Grijalva ◽  
Julio Cesar Larco ◽  
Juan Carlos Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Software Tools ◽  
Mathematical Software ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

scholarly journals Conveying facial expressions to blind and visually impaired persons through a wearable vibrotactile device

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. e0194737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendrik P. Buimer ◽  
Marian Bittner ◽  
Tjerk Kostelijk ◽  
Thea M. van der Geest ◽  
Abdellatif Nemri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

Computerized Image Enhancement for Visually Impaired Persons: New Technology, New Possibilities

1986 ◽  
Vol 80 (7) ◽  
pp. 849-854
Author(s):  
E. Pell ◽  
L. E. Arend ◽  
G. T. Timberlake
Keyword(s):  
Image Enhancement ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Visual Degradation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons ◽  
Made In

Patients with age-related visual loss suffer reduced ability to recognize faces and other scenes in photographs and on television. Recently, progress has been made in image enhancement, using controlled distortion of digitally stored images that increases their usefulness in particular applications. Described are two approaches to image enhancement for the visually impaired. In one approach, the visual losses that characterize individual patients and disease classes are described using detailed measurements of visual degradation transfer functions, which are profiles of loss of image information at various spatial scales. The particular distortion used for image enhancement is then adjusted to the impairment of the individual patient or disease class. A second approach takes advantage of the resemblance between the visual losses of many patients and the degradation of picture information in other applications due to external limitations (e.g., fog and haze) on photography. Several enhancement algorithms have been found useful with such images and may also improve picture recognition by the visually impaired.

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