Abstract
The sense of touch is an effective, but underutilized, human communication channel. In this paper we describe our research efforts towards optimizing a minimal tactile array for personal navigation and route guidance. There are several aspects to this problem. From an information transfer viewpoint, the question of tactor array size, dimension, location and display symbology requires careful consideration. Effective tactile display symbology involves providing information in an intuitive manner without adding to the cognitive loading of the user. Tactile information may be presented through spatial, temporal and signal variables. We have recently developed new wearable tactors that offer wide sensory capabilities to provide different “feeling” stimuli. These actuators are non-linear in that the salient characteristics for perception are linked to a complex drive stimulus. We have therefore developed a tactor activation design approach termed “TActions” (Tactile Actions) where patterns or sequence of individual tactile stimuli, each of which has its own characteristics and properties, are used to create tactile display symbology that a user can naturally associate with a particular function. These components provide display design frame work which we have used to demonstrate orientation and navigation.
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Mortimer, B., Zets, G., Mort, G., Shovan, C. (2011). Implementing Effective Tactile Symbology for Orientation and Navigation. In: Jacko, J.A. (eds) Human-Computer Interaction. Towards Mobile and Intelligent Interaction Environments. HCI 2011. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 6763. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21616-9_36
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21616-9_36
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