Audio tactile maps (ATM) system for the exploration of digital heritage buildings by visually-impaired individuals - First prototype and preliminary evaluation
File(s)20141010_ATM-DemoPaper.pdf (172.87 KB)
Submitted version
Author(s)
O'Sullivan, L
Picinali, L
Feakes, C
Cawthorne, D
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
Navigation within historic spaces requires analysis of a variety of acoustic, proprioceptive and tactile cues; a task that is well-developed in many visually-impaired individuals but for which sighted individuals rely almost entirely on vision. For the visually-impaired, the creation of a cognitive map of a space can be a long process for which the individual may repeat various paths numerous times. While this action is typically performed by the individual on-site, it is of some interest to investigate to what degree this task can be performed off-site using a virtual simulator. We propose a tactile map navigation system with interactive auditory display. The system is based on a paper tactile map upon which the user's hands are tracked. Audio feedback provides; (i) information on user-selected map features, (ii) dynamic navigation information as the hand is moved, (iii) guidance on how to reach the location of one hand (arrival point) from the location of the other hand (departure point) and (iv) additional interactive 3D-audio cues useful for navigation. This paper presents an overview of the initial technical development stage, reporting observations from preliminary evaluations with a blind individual. The system will be beneficial to visuallyimpaired visitors to heritage sites; we describe one such site which is being used to further assess our prototype.
Date Issued
2014-09-07
Date Acceptance
2014-09-01
Citation
Proceedings of Forum Acusticum, 2014, 2014-January
ISBN
9788361402282
ISSN
2221-3767
Journal / Book Title
Proceedings of Forum Acusticum
Volume
2014-January
Copyright Statement
© 2014 The Author(s)
Source
Forum Acusticum 2014
Publication Status
Published
Start Date
2014-09-07
Finish Date
2014-09-12
Coverage Spatial
Krakow, Poland
Date Publish Online
2014-09-07