Villamizar Luz H, Gualdron Mauricio, Gonzalez Fabio, Aceros Juan, Rizzo-Sierra Carlos V
Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2013;2013:1450-3. doi: 10.1109/EMBC.2013.6609784.
A sonar based device with tactile feedback was developed to improve the mobility and independence of visually impaired individuals. It features a transceiver/receiver, a potentiometer, a microcontroller, a rechargeable polymer lithium ion battery, and a Nokia Cell phone vibrator. All components are commercially available and housed in a custom acrylic package with 86 mm × 34 mm × 12 mm in dimension, and 120 grms in weight. Additionally, the device features an adjustable detection scheme for user customization of distance range, and a tactile feedback system that avoids interference with auditory sensory information. The device was tested for its navigational efficacy in an artificial indoor environment, and in a live outdoor setting. Ten subjects (9 males and 1 female), with a mean age of 35 years-old (range: 17 to 52) were presented with a series of navigational tasks resulting in considerable reduction of head, shoulder, chest, and arms collisions during their locomotion. We conclude that this device greatly improves the mobility and safety of visually impaired individuals.
为提高视障人士的行动能力和独立性，研发了一种带有触觉反馈的声纳设备。它包括一个收发器/接收器、一个电位器、一个微控制器、一个可充电聚合物锂离子电池和一个诺基亚手机振动器。所有组件均为市售产品，封装在一个定制的丙烯酸外壳中，尺寸为86毫米×34毫米×12毫米，重量为120克。此外，该设备具有可调节的检测方案，用于用户自定义距离范围，还有一个触觉反馈系统，可避免干扰听觉感官信息。该设备在人工室内环境和实际户外场景中对其导航效果进行了测试。向10名受试者（9名男性和1名女性）展示了一系列导航任务，这些任务使他们在移动过程中头部、肩部、胸部和手臂碰撞次数大幅减少。我们得出结论，该设备极大地提高了视障人士的行动能力和安全性。
