The assessment of non visual maritime cognitive maps of a blind sailor: a case study

Abstract

Nowadays, thanks to the accessibility of GPS, sighted people widely use electronic charts to navigate through different kinds of environments. In the maritime domain, it has considerably improved the precision of course control. In this domain, blind sailors can not make a compass bearing, however they are able to interact with multimodal electronic charts. Indeed, we conceived SeaTouch, a haptic (tactilekinesthetic) and auditory virtual environment that allows users to perform virtual maritime navigation without vision. In this study we attempt to assess if heading or northing "haptic" views during virtual navigation training influences non-visual spatial knowledge. After simulating a navigation session in each condition, a blind sailor truly navigated on the sea and estimated seamark bearings. We used the triangulation technique to compare the efficiency of northing and heading virtual training. The results are congruent with current knowledge about spatial frames of reference and suggest that getting lost in heading mode forces the blind sailor to coordinate his current "view" with a more global and stable representation.

Virtual reality as orientation and mobility aid for blind people

“…Similar results were found among adults and children who were totally blind or had residual vision, but different results were found among children with residual vision and medium cognitive achievement were unable to create a spatial cognitive map (Sá nchez and Lumbreras, 2000). Simonnet et al (2010) found that as a result of getting lost frequently in the egocentric exploration mode, the participant constructed a more precise cognitive map.…”

“…2 2014 j JOURNAL OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES j PAGE 103 needed on how these aspects of the VE affect the user's ability to gather spatial information and apply it in the RS. Simonnet et al (2010) demonstrate that further research is needed to examine if and how the VE's spatial exploration method (allocentric or geocentric representations) influences the user's spatial model (route model or map model), a topic that was less commonly examined and which might have an influence on the user's ultimate ability and outcome in using a VE. Additionally, the research must proceed to examine the real-life scenarios in which this type of O&M aid is most needed, such as outdoor and complex spaces, and examine the user's ability to apply the new spatial knowledge in the RS.…”

Cognitive map formation through haptic and visual exploration of tactile city-like maps

“…The ability to form a cognitive map of a haptically presented environment has been suggested in earlier research, considering people with a visual impairment as well as sighted people 18 – 23 . Furthermore, there is a large body of literature that shows the effectiveness of tactile maps to support blind people in wayfinding and orientation 18 , 21 , 24 – 31 . There are several methods to assess the formation of mental spatial representations 32 .…”

Many to Many Mobile Maps

“…Thus, it might be incumbent on future interfaces to include a haptic component for the surgeons to respond. In a very different domain, an experimental interface, which combines auditory feedback and a forcefeel joystick, allows blind sailors to direct a crew on a sailing vessel in tests off the coast of France (Simonnet et al 2010). Thus, to the extent which spatial interfaces engage the user in the physical environment (Meilinger et al 2008), there should be additional encoding and better memory of the environment.…”