“Haptic radar / extended skin project” by Cassinelli, Reynolds and Ishikawa

We present a device whose goal is to allow wearers to perceive and respond to range information from multiple sensors using haptic cues. It uses an array of modules, each of which senses range information and transduces it as vibro-tactile cues on the skin directly beneath the module. Moreover, this modular interface can cover precise skin regions, be distributed in a discrete manner over the skin surface, or span the entire body surface (and then function as a sort of double skin). Among the numerous applications of this interface are visual prosthetics for the blind, augmentation of spatial awareness in hazardous working environments, as well as enhanced obstacle awareness for car drivers. In an experiment, a significant proportion (87%, p=1.26 * 10-5) of subjects moved to avoid an unseen object. On a questionnaire, subjects reported the system as more of a help, easy, and intuitive.

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