Research

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Y

Dean Yager
State College of Optometry, State University of New York, 100 East 24th Street, New York, New York 10010, United States of America.
Tel: +1 212 780 5141
Fax: +1 212 780 5094
Email: dyager@sunyopt.edu
Web: www.sunyopt.edu

Current & recent projects

Low Vision Reading and Typeface Variables.

Last updated: 26/06/2000

Cem Yektay
Research Group "Man-Machine Interaction", Institute for Hygiene and Applied Physiology, Swiss Federation Institute of Tecnology, Clausiusstrasse 25, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
Email: cem.yektay@alcatel.ch

Current & recent projects

Acoustical monitor for blind PC-users
Definition of problem: The applications of graphic oriented systems and graphical user interface (GUI) have deteriorated the situation for the blind computer users, because a such system requires visual coordination between computer user and monitor via mouse. Target and solution: The coordination, which is between system and blind person, will be acoustic instead of visual. Realisation: Acoustical Monitor - Integration between acoustical monitor, speech generation SW and user SW’s - Producing of acoustical pictures.

Last updated: 22/02/2002

Yoshimichi Yonezawa
Department of Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shinshu University, Nagano-city, Japan.
Email: yonezawa@cs.shinshu-u.ac.jp

Current & recent projects

Researching a walking guide system for the blind, which uses audio sound beam made by focused parametric array.

Last updated: 19/03/2001

Sandy Young
Wintonfield Systems, Albyn Industrial Estate, Broxburn, West Lothian EH52 5PQ, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 1506 852000
Fax: +44 1506 855506
Email: info@wintonfield.co.uk
Web: www.wintonfield.co.uk

Current & recent projects

Transmission of audio description in cinemas
Co-worker: Denise Evans
"Audio Description" in cinemas is effectively a word picture of on-screen action for visually handicapped persons. The audio description contains commentary on visual elements such as an actor's appearance, clothing, facial expressions, movements, etc. that cannot be discerned from the standard soundtrack. The audio description commentary is scripted and recorded on a playback media such as compact discs, digital audio tape or a new generation removable media hard drive device that has sufficient storage capacity. The synchronization module is connected to an output of the cinema projector system. The module reads the film and synchronizes the separate audio description commentary with the original soundtrack. The original soundtrack is broadcast to hard of hearing patrons via one channel of a wireless infrared transmission system. The audio description commentary is broadcast via a second infrared transmission channel. Listeners to either channel use a personal receiver to hear the chosen broadcast. The module will acknowledge, retain and use a fault log (under software control) that will ensure continued synchronization is maintained if the projector film breaks down (requiring splicing) on future re-runs. If a CD RD & WR medium is used, the installation user will be able to view the entire contents of the descriptive commentary in terms of tracks, by means of viewing a catalogue. The descriptive commentary tracks will be labeled relative and equal to the commentary speech encoded on the CD. Thus allowing the installation user to modify, re-write/re-commentate, or even re-do the entire CD in another language.

Last updated:

Dr Wai Yu
Virtual Engineering Centre, Queens Univeristy, NITC, Cloreen Park, Malone Road, Belfast BT9 5HN, Northern Ireland.
Tel: +44 28 9097 4781
Fax: +44 28 9066 3715
Email: w.yu@qub.ac.uk
Web: www.enabledweb.org

Current & recent projects

ENABLED
Project co-workers: Christian Abeln; Spiros Alexakis; José Ignacio Barbero; Susanne Boll; Vita Jürgen Bornschein; Björn Breidegard; Mickael Cappozzo; Nuno Cunha; Dr Gordon Dodds; Markus Dubielzig; Alicia Fernández del Viso Torre; Stephen Furner; Teresa Gutiérrez; Moustapha Hafez; Wilko Heuten; Dr Bernhard Kölmel; Tony Lam; Dr Thomas Lindner; Professor Charlotte Magnusson; Professor Alan Marshall; Dr Graham McAllister; Jochen Meyer; Carlos García Moreno; Thierry Raguin; Kirsten Rassmus-Gröhn, Pedro Vale; Klaus-Peter Wegge; Daniel Wichmann.

The goal of this integrated project is to enhance blind and visually impaired people's access to information and services on the internet. The ENABLED project is determined to address this problem by applying two parallel strategies: 1) Developing technologies that create universally accessible content on the Web, and algorithms that convert existing inaccessible content to be accessible; 2) Developing 'ubiquitous' tools that enable easy access to information, and interfaces that are adaptable and interoperable no matter where the user is and what equipment they are using. To achieve the objectives of this project, research and development work will focus on four areas: 1) accessible Web content; 2) adaptable interfaces; 3)mobile computing; 4)wireless networking. Various types of graphical content including graphs, maps, 3D objects and other visual images are regarded as the main obstacles impeding the access of visually impaired people to information on the internet. This issue is compounded by the fact that a vast amount of information is now stored in these graphical formats, as many people find that their use facilitates more rapid understanding and reduces the volume of text which must be assimilated. Providing access to such information for visually impaired people will not only serve to ensure that such users have ICT equality, but will also enhance their experience of the internet. In order to achieve this improved access, the project has adopted a 'multimodal' approach, which incorporates visual, audio and haptic sensory channels to convey graphical information to visually impaired people. Wtih the aim of providing ubiquitous access to information and net-based services, the project has recognised the requirement to identify potential mobility-enhancing facilities, with maps and navigational aids regarded as the most desirable sources by visually impaired potential users. As a result, research and development effort is focused on a navigation system that provides guidance for visually impaired pedestrians in both indoor and outdoor settings. Multimodal representations of indoor and outdoor maps are also under investigation in order to complete the whole navigation process, from route-planning to actually following the route. Research and development work will be supported by training activities involving local user organisations and SMEs. These training activities will form the basis of a sound foundation for the dissemination of results.
Project start date: 01/09/2004
Project end date: 31/10/2007

Last updated: 19/03/2008