Related papers: GuideTouch: An Obstacle Avoidance Device with Tact…

Quadrupedal robots have demonstrated remarkable agility and robustness in traversing complex terrains. However, they struggle with dynamic object interactions, where contact must be precisely sensed and controlled. To bridge this gap, we…

Sensory substitution has influenced the design of many tactile visual substitution systems with the aim of offering visual aids for the blind. This paper focuses on whether a novel electromagnetic vibrotactile display, a four by four…

Visual feedback plays a crucial role in the process of amputation patients completing grasping in the field of prosthesis control. However, for blind and visually impaired (BVI) amputees, the loss of both visual and grasping abilities makes…

The lack of haptically aware upper-limb prostheses forces amputees to rely largely on visual cues to complete activities of daily living. In contrast, able-bodied individuals inherently rely on conscious haptic perception and automatic…

Individuals with ambulatory disabilities often encounter significant barriers when navigating urban environments due to the lack of accessible information and tools. This paper presents OmniAcc, an AI-powered interactive navigation system…

Tactile Walking Surface Indicators (TWSIs) are safety-critical landmarks that blind and low-vision (BLV) pedestrians use to locate crossings and hazard zones. From our observation sessions with BLV guide dog handlers, trainers, and an O&M…

Sight is essential for humans to navigate their surrounding environment independently. Tasks that are simple for the sighted are often close to impossible for the visually impaired. Throughout the years, many researchers dedicated their…

This work presents NeuroTouch, an optical-based tactile sensor that combines a highly deformable dome-shaped soft material with an integrated neuromorphic camera, leveraging frame-based and dynamic vision for gesture detection. Our approach…

While there is no replacement for the learned expertise, devotion, and social benefits of a guide dog, there are cases in which a robot navigation assistant could be helpful for individuals with blindness or low vision (BLV). This study…

The ability to live without being controlled by any action, judgment and any outside factors including any opinions and regulations is defined by the term Independent. But in reality physical movement for travelling or simply walking…

Curbs -- the edge of a raised sidewalk at the point where it meets a street -- crucial in urban environments where they help delineate safe pedestrian zones, from dangerous vehicular lanes. However, curbs themselves are significant…

Visually impaired people are often confronted with new environments and they find themselves face to face with an innumerous amount of difficulties when facing these environments. Having to surpass and deal with these difficulties that…

In this paper, we introduce HEADS-UP, the first egocentric dataset collected from head-mounted cameras, designed specifically for trajectory prediction in blind assistance systems. With the growing population of blind and visually impaired…

The goal of this project is to create an inexpensive, lightweight, wearable assistive device that can measure hand or finger movements accurately enough to identify a range of hand gestures. One eventual application is to provide assistive…

Low vision involves a range of visual impairments that significantly impact daily activities, particularly navigation in urban environments. Individuals with low vision often develop adaptive strategies to compensate for visual deficits,…

Robotic guide dogs hold significant potential to enhance the autonomy and mobility of blind or visually impaired (BVI) individuals by offering universal assistance over unstructured terrains at affordable costs. However, the design of…

Haptic devices have been employed to immerse users in VR environments. In particular, hand and finger haptic devices have been deeply developed. However, this type of device occlude the hand detection by some tracking systems, or in other…

The use of vibrotactile feedback is of growing interest in the field of prosthetics, but few devices fully integrate this technology in the prosthesis to transmit high-frequency contact information (such as surface roughness and first…

Self-touch gestures (e.g., nuanced facial touches and subtle finger scratches) provide rich insights into human behaviors, from hygiene practices to health monitoring. However, existing approaches fall short in detecting such micro gestures…

This paper explores the principles for transforming a quadrupedal robot into a guide robot for individuals with visual impairments. A guide robot has great potential to resolve the limited availability of guide animals that are accessible…