Interactive and Enriched Haptic Graphical Representations for People who are Blind and Visually Impaired

Principal researcher

Project details

Start date: 15/09/2007
End date: 31/08/2008

Description: Graphical representations often comprise an integral part of highly interactive interfaces to enhance human insight and creativity. The benefits of such interfaces are for the most part denied, however, to individuals who are blind or visually impaired, who are as a consequence are placed at a significant disadvantage with respect to learning throughout their lives. For young children, graphical representations in books are often critical for developing a vocabulary, as many objects cannot easily be obtained or safely handled physically. Later on, examination and interpretation of graphical information such as experimental time series data, mathematical waveforms and geographical diagrams are crucial for obtaining insight in these areas and a sign of creativity. Currently, the most frequent method of representing 2D graphical information so as to make it accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired is through static raised-line drawings, but this method is very poor at relaying information in unconstrained tasks such as those mentioned above. In this project the principal researcher adopts a novel alternative haptics-based approach to address the challenge of developing more suitable interactive methods and appropriate representations that enhance understanding of unfamiliar information (whether patterns, groups of items, or individual items) and improve the user's ability to make discoveries or propose explanations. She will develop highly interactive graphics technology that allows the user to actively and separately control both the magnification and simplification of a graphic during its examination. This will allow the user to customize and vary as needed the trade-off between the two main limitations of haptic processing: the need to serially integrate information, and poor tactile spatial resolution. The enriched representations will use texture or vibration as a way to encode the separation of a graphic into objects and object parts, and to describe the 3D orientation of parts, which are two of the most difficult aspects of interpretation. The project will be conducted with input and feedback from members of the target user community, and validated experimentally. Broader Impacts: This research will help move knowledge about human haptic processing from theory to practice. As the focus is on developing enabling technologies for higher level thinking skills, the project will empower individuals who are blind or visually impaired (and ultimately all users) with new tools to make more significant contributions to society. Thus, the work will in particular contribute to the effort of preventing individuals from the target community being left further behind as information technology advances forward, and will enable them to enjoy a better income and quality of life.

Other organisations involved in this project

Last updated: 15/04/2008