Cane Walk in the Virtual Reality Space Using Virtual Haptic Sensing: Toward Developing Haptic VR Technologies for the Visually Impaired

Abstract

Creating a virtual reality (VR) by combining visual information and pseudo touch sensing is studied actively. However, being strictly detached from visual information, it is not easy for visually impaired individuals to sense a visual VR world. The purpose of our study is the development of, so we call, haptic VR technologies for aiding visually impaired individuals sense his (her) surroundings and recognize geometric constructions in the space. Our haptic VR system for the walk is installed as follows: in the VR world we put (draw) a and a with its 5 fingers holding the cane. In real word, we wear a data glove on one and this is superposed on the virtual (this is achieved by each finger being force provided through the data-glove). Thus our VR sensing is created by the pseudo haptic sensing at the fingers for which the feedback forces are provided by the data-glove worn on the hand. In our haptic VR space of walk, we have prepared paving to aid the visually impaired for the pavement, a cane (white cane) and a hand to grasp and manipulate the on the virtual pavement. An actual wearing the data-glove on it is superposed on the virtual by the system. Thus the touch and investigation on the virtual paving blocks by the in the haptic VR space is conveyed to the actual via the data-glove. We also show some experimental vibration value and haptic value data obtained at the index finger of the grasping during the real walking on studded paving blocks and some skin surface voltage of electromyogram (EMG) data.