Abstract
Common navigational aids used by blind travelers during large-scale navigation divert attention away from important cues of the immediate environment (i.e., approaching vehicles). Sensory augmentation devices, relying on principles similar to those at work in sensory substitution, can potentially bypass the bottleneck of attention through sub-cognitive implementation of a set of rules coupling motor actions with sensory stimulation. We provide a late blind subject with a vibrotactile belt that continually signals the direction of magnetic north. The subject completed a set of behavioral tests before and after an extended training period. The tests were complemented by questionnaires and interviews. This newly supplied information improved performance on different time scales. In a pointing task we demonstrate an instant improvement of performance based on the signal provided by the device. Furthermore, the signal was helpful in relevant daily tasks, often complicated for the blind, such as keeping a direction over longer distances or taking shortcuts in familiar environments. A homing task with an additional attentional load demonstrated a significant improvement after training. The subject found the directional information highly expedient for the adjustment of his inner maps of familiar environments and describes an increase in his feeling of security when exploring unfamiliar environments with the belt. The results give evidence for a firm integration of the newly supplied signals into the behavior of this late blind subject with better navigational performance and more courageous behavior in unfamiliar environments. Most importantly, the complementary information provided by the belt lead to a positive emotional impact with enhanced feeling of security. The present experimental approach demonstrates the positive potential of sensory augmentation devices for the help of handicapped people.
Highlights
Goal-directed large-scale navigation is one of the great difficulties blind travelers face in everyday life
In this study, we investigated whether supplying a blind person with a directional signal for 6 weeks improves space perception and spatial learning ability, helps in everyday tasks like walking a straight line, and brings forth a perceptual change
The subject’s performance in navigational tasks such as homing and pointing were significantly better when he was supplied with information from the belt, indicating improved spatial learning and path integration
Summary
Goal-directed large-scale navigation is one of the great difficulties blind travelers face in everyday life. Recent years have seen the development of numerous gadgets such as speaking compasses or navigational devices similar to those in cars designed to support the blind during everyday navigation. While these devices can be beneficial for orientation and navigation, they depend heavily on attentional resources so that immediate cues of the environment, i.e., approaching cars, might be neglected while attention is diverted by the navigational device. The development of devices that can provide spatial information without drawing heavily on attentional resources could greatly enhance the life of blind travelers
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