Training System for White Cane Technique Using Illusory Pulling Cues Induced by Asymmetric Vibrations

Abstract

A white cane is conventionally used by visually impaired persons to assist their mobility. To learn its proper operation, training by an orientation & mobility specialist is necessary. However, because the number of specialists is limited, visually impaired persons often do not receive sufficient training. To rectify this issue, a training environment in which the visually impaired can train independently is required. This paper proposes a training system that enables the visually impaired to learn white cane techniques using illusory pulling cues. Specifically, in the white cane touch technique, which is a basic white cane technique, a system that targets the swing width of the white cane is presented by illusory pulling cues. To verify the efficacy of the system, a prototype was implemented and evaluated via user tests. The results confirmed that the error of the swing width of the white cane decreased following use of the proposed system. The proposed system will contribute to the development of the mobility of the visually impaired by enabling them to train with the white cane independently and spontaneously, thereby reducing the workload of specialists.

White Cane-Type Holdable Device Using Illusory Pulling Cues for Orientation & Mobility Training

“…This study is the continuation of the work conducted in Ref. [3], and the primary contributions since the previous report are as follows:…”

“…The illusory pulling cues were fed back according to the position of the cane tip, as measured by motion capture. The user test results demonstrated a significant decrease in the error from the target swing width before and after using the training system [3]. Therefore, the prototype system was effective in teaching the swing width of the touch technique.…”

“…Req. 3 The illusory pulling cue must be induced in the gripping method of the general touch techniques.…”

“…The white cane-type device in the prototype system has the same moment of inertia as that of commercially available canes. Moreover, the white cane users felt the device was light [3]. Hence, although the entire device may be heavier, its moment of inertia must be comparable to that of the commercially available canes (Req.…”

“…We attempted to solve this challenge using a rehabilitationengineering approach. Specifically, to provide the visually impaired with the opportunity to train independently without O&M specialists, a prototype of a training system for the white-cane technique was developed [3]. The prototype system targeted the most basic and critical touch technique (the cane technique of swinging the cane from side to side to preview obstacles) and guided the proper swing width of the cane using haptic feedback because novices tend to have a narrower swing width on the non-dominant hand side and miss obstacles.…”