Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

By: Nathan Bench

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

1. INTRODUCTION TO BLIND NAVIGATION & WAY-FINDING

2. RESEARCH IN BLIND NAVIGATION & WAY-FINDING

3. (RELATED TANGENT)

4. PROPOSED RESEARCH STUDY

5. FINAL THOUGHTS

2

Outline

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

3

Haptics provides a means of perception through tactile feedback that imparts understanding of our environment.

-Leaderman & Klatzky (2009),

Giudice & Legge, (2008)

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

4

1. Introduction Blind Statistics: Need for Technology

1.3 million Americans are legally blind and 22.5 million Americans suffer from some form of vision loss.

Globally 37 million are blind and 124 million suffer from some form of vision impairment.

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

5

1. Introduction Current Mobility Aids

The white cane and guide dog are the most preferred mobility aid.

Primary areas for development (Dakopoulos and Bourbakis, 2010):

1. Vision enhancement2. Vision replacement3. Vision substitution

BAT K-SonarTrekker BreezeBrailleNote GPS Mobile Geo softwarevOICe system

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

6

1. Introduction The Idea: Blind Navigation

Jack Loomis -1985 idea for technology use for navigation.

-Digital maps-Way-finding via landmarks-Audio feedback-Haptics

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

2. Research in Blind Mobility

vOICe System-Meijer (1992)-Soundscapes (show example clip)

Tongue Display Unit (TDU)-Ptito, Chebat, and Kupers (2008) -Tactile stimulation

Training-Found to increase understanding of sensory substitution

7

Sensory Substitution

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

2. Research in Blind Mobility

Personal Guidance System (PGS) (1985-2008)-Loomis, Klatzky, & Golledge Research

Body Mounted Vision System-Treuillet et al. (2007)

Haptic Virtual Surface-Turchet et al. (2010)

Bionic Eye-Zrenner et al. (2010)

Tactile Handheld Miniature Bidirectional device (THMB)

-Luk et al. (2006)-Hayward and Cruz-Hernandez (2000)

Large Area Tactile Pattern Display (LATPaD)-Lévesque et al. (2011)

8

GPS, Optics, & Haptics

THMB (a) with tactile display (b) that is controlled by piezoelectric actuators (b). (Image by Luk et al., 2006).

LATPaD is controlled by piezoelectric actuators and position sensing (Image by Lévesque et al. (2011).

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

2. Research in Blind Mobility

9

Advantages of Haptic Use

“Haptic[s] … allows for users to feel virtual objects in a simulated environment.”

-Salisbury, Conti, & Barbagli

2. Research in Blind Mobility

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

10

Disadvantages & Limitations of Haptic Use

Vision and audition stimulus [are] perceived and processed at a greater rate than haptic stimulus.

-Connell & Lynott (2009)

11

3. Tangent Brownian Motion

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

1827 the English botanist Robert Brown noticed that pollen grains suspended in water jiggled about under the lens of the microscope

Video

3. Our approach

12Haptic Perception and Cognition:

Using Geons for the Blind

13

Software: Nano Cubes

High temperature Low temperature

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

3. Our approach Testing

14

Participant use in action

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

3. Our approach Testing

15

Software and Falcon in action

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

3. Our approach Testing

16

Two Participant Groups

Group 1 Group 2

Visual Visuohaptic

Post-test

Video

Pre-test

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

3. Our approach Testing

17

3

4

2

1

0

V VH

Type

Sco

re D

iffere

nce

p value= .0085

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

3. Results Testing

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

4. Proposed Research Study

18

Introduction

Recognition-by-Components (RBC) theory developed by Irving Biederman (1987)

Spatial cognition and haptic perception in blind and low-sighted individuals

Human sensory perception and how it relates to navigation and way-finding.

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

19

Examples of Biederman’s geons and how they are used to create other objects. (Biederman, 1987).

Geons3. Proposed Research Study

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

20

Examples of Biederman’s geons and how they are used to create other objects. (Biederman, 1987).

Geon Properties

View Invariant* Discriminable Noise Resistant Parsimonious

Edge & concavitydetection

3. Proposed Research Study

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

21

Recognition-by-components (RBC)-Biederman (1987)

Haptic Perception-J. J. Gibson (1962) -Lederman & Klatzky (2009)-Hayward (2008)

Spatial Cognition-Olson & Bialystok (1983)-Golledge (2004)

Cognitive Mapping-Golledge (1999, 2004) -Hommel & Knuf (2003)

Way-finding-Allen (1999)-Arentze, Dellaert & Timmermans

(2008)

Audition-Magnusson et al. (2002)-O’Callaghan (2007) -Norman (2002)

Supporting Research3. Proposed Research Study

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

22

Lack of in depth research on this topic

New area of technological understanding

Potential application in navigation

3. Proposed Research Study

Significance

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

3. Proposed Research Study

23

Methodology & Framework

Signal Detection Theory-humans are quite acute to observable

stimuli Information Processing Theory

-how humans process information for decision and behavior

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

3. Proposed Research Study

24

Experimental Design

A

B

Top-down view example reversed haptic virtual shape. A) The shape of low force feedback. B) The area of high force feedback.

Reversed Haptic Virtual Shape

-Exploration -Learning

-Application

{Assumption}low-force predilection over high-force

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

25

3. Proposal of Research

Reversed Haptic Virtual Shape

Experimental Design

26

Four Participant Groups

Blind w/ sound Blind w/o sound Sighted w/ sound

Sighted w/o sound

Application

Learning

Exploration

Survey

3. Proposal of Research

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

Testing

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

4. Conclusion

27

Review & Final Thoughts

Haptic Perception and Cognition: Using Geons for the Blind

28

Thank you.

The end