Judging hardness of an object from the sounds of tapping created by a white cane

Nunokawa, Kiyohiko; Seki, Yoichi; Ino, Shuichi; Doi, Kouki

doi:10.1109/embc.2014.6944965

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Various devices have been developed to aid blind or visually impaired subjects in avoiding obstacles during walking ( Tzovaras et al, 2004 ; Penrod et al, 2005 ; Nunokawa et al, 2014 ; Buchs et al, 2017 ; see for a review Pawluk et al, 2015 ). For instance, ultrasonic or infrared sensors were mounted on the cane in order to estimate the distance between the user and an obstacle, or to judge hardness of an object.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balance in Blind Subjects: Cane and Fingertip Touch Induce Similar Extent and Promptness of Stance Stabilization

et al. 2018

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Subjects with low vision often use a cane when standing and walking autonomously in everyday life. One aim of this study was to assess differences in the body stabilizing effect produced by the contact of the cane with the ground or by the fingertip touch of a firm surface. Another aim was to estimate the promptness of balance stabilization (or destabilization) on adding (or withdrawing) the haptic input from cane or fingertip. Twelve blind subjects and two subjects with severe visual impairment participated in two experimental protocols while maintaining the tandem Romberg posture on a force platform. In one protocol, subjects lowered the cane to a second platform on the ground and lifted it in sequence at their own pace. In the other protocol, they touched an instrumented pad with the index finger and withdrew the finger from the pad in sequence. In both protocols, subjects were asked to exert a force not granting mechanical stabilization. Under steady-state condition, the finger touch or the contact of the cane with the ground significantly reduced (to ∼78% and ∼86%, respectively) the amplitude of medio-lateral oscillation of the centre of foot pressure (CoP). Oscillation then increased when haptic information was removed. The delay to the change in body oscillation after the haptic shift was longer for addition than withdrawal of the haptic information (∼1.4 s and ∼0.7 s, respectively; p < 0.001), but was not different between the two haptic conditions (finger and cane). Similar stabilizing effects of input from cane on the ground and from fingertip touch, and similar latencies to integrate haptic cue from both sources, suggest that the process of integration of the input for balance control is initiated by the haptic stimulus at the interface cane-hand. Use of a tool is as helpful as the fingertip input, and does not produce different stabilization. Further, the latencies to haptic cue integration (from fingertip or cane) are similar to those previously found in a group of sighted subjects, suggesting that integration delays for automatic balance stabilization are not modified by visual impairment. Haptic input from a tool is easily exploited by the neural circuits subserving automatic balance stabilization in blind people, and its use should be enforced by sensory-enhancing devices and appropriate training.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balance in Blind Subjects: Cane and Fingertip Touch Induce Similar Extent and Promptness of Stance Stabilization

et al. 2018

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“…Constant contact sweeps the cane side to side while maintaining contact with the ground. The novice users were shown three grip styles: standard, pencil, and traditional ( 55 ), as well as several positions to hold the cane: in front of the body above the waist (centered high), below the waist (centered low), and to the side (off-center) ( 21 , 56 ). All novice participants chose to use the standard grip and off-center position.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multimodal sensing and intuitive steering assistance improve navigation and mobility for people with impaired vision

2021

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Globally, more than 250 million people have impaired vision and face challenges navigating outside their homes, affecting their independence, mental health, and physical health. Navigating unfamiliar routes is challenging for people with impaired vision because it may require avoiding obstacles, recognizing objects, and wayfinding indoors and outdoors. Existing approaches such as white canes, guide dogs, and electronic travel aids only tackle some of these challenges. Here, we present the Augmented Cane, a white cane with a comprehensive set of sensors and an intuitive feedback method to steer the user, which addresses navigation challenges and improves mobility for people with impaired vision. We compared the Augmented Cane with a white cane by having sighted and visually impaired participants complete navigation challenges while blindfolded: walking along hallways, avoiding obstacles, and following outdoor waypoints. Across all experiments, the Augmented Cane increased the walking speed for participants with impaired vision by 18 ± 7% and sighted participants by 35 ± 12% compared with a white cane. The increase in walking speed may be due to accurate steering assistance, reduced cognitive load, fewer contacts with the environment, and higher participant confidence. We also demonstrate advanced navigation capabilities of the Augmented Cane: indoor wayfinding, recognizing and steering the participant to a key object, and navigating a sequence of indoor and outdoor challenges. The open-source and low-cost design of the Augmented Cane provides a platform that may improve the mobility and quality of life of people with impaired vision.

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“…The white cane is a worldwide symbol for vision impairment and plays a key role in allowing people with vision loss to navigate independently [54,55]. However, the white cane may also cause people to feel self-conscious and family members to become overprotective [56].…”

Section: Feel Vulnerable When I Have My Cane I Feel Differentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeing Beyond Anatomy: Quality of Life with Geographic Atrophy

Caswell

Carlton

2021

Ophthalmol Ther

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Quality of life (QoL) is a complex idea without a clear consensus definition. Generally speaking, QoL refers to several subjective measures of wellbeing that vary by individual and circumstance. QoL can decline noticeably as a disease progresses. This is particularly true for geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced form of agerelated macular degeneration. GA leads to vision loss for which there is no currently approved pharmacological treatment. There is a lack of qualitative, patient-driven research on QoL in GA. There is also limited information

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Judging hardness of an object from the sounds of tapping created by a white cane

Cited by 7 publications

References 2 publications

Balance in Blind Subjects: Cane and Fingertip Touch Induce Similar Extent and Promptness of Stance Stabilization

Balance in Blind Subjects: Cane and Fingertip Touch Induce Similar Extent and Promptness of Stance Stabilization

Multimodal sensing and intuitive steering assistance improve navigation and mobility for people with impaired vision

Seeing Beyond Anatomy: Quality of Life with Geographic Atrophy

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