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

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 su...

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Main Authors: Takeshi Tanabe, Kiyohiko Nunokawa, Kouki Doi, Shuichi Ino
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2022-01-01
Series:IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9702135/
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author Takeshi Tanabe
Kiyohiko Nunokawa
Kouki Doi
Shuichi Ino
author_facet Takeshi Tanabe
Kiyohiko Nunokawa
Kouki Doi
Shuichi Ino
author_sort Takeshi Tanabe
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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spelling doaj.art-a35ff698e3444ff1bff6f3e4355da0b82023-06-13T20:09:17ZengIEEEIEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering1558-02102022-01-013030531310.1109/TNSRE.2022.31487709702135Training System for White Cane Technique Using Illusory Pulling Cues Induced by Asymmetric VibrationsTakeshi Tanabe0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0124-9647Kiyohiko Nunokawa1Kouki Doi2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2255-6221Shuichi Ino3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0719-578XHuman Informatics and Interaction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, JapanSchool of Human and Social Sciences, Tokyo International University, Kawagoe, Saitama, JapanNational Institute of Special Needs Education, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, JapanGraduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, JapanA 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.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9702135/Illusory force sensationtouch techniquetraining systemwhite cane
spellingShingle Takeshi Tanabe
Kiyohiko Nunokawa
Kouki Doi
Shuichi Ino
Training System for White Cane Technique Using Illusory Pulling Cues Induced by Asymmetric Vibrations
IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
Illusory force sensation
touch technique
training system
white cane
title Training System for White Cane Technique Using Illusory Pulling Cues Induced by Asymmetric Vibrations
title_full Training System for White Cane Technique Using Illusory Pulling Cues Induced by Asymmetric Vibrations
title_fullStr Training System for White Cane Technique Using Illusory Pulling Cues Induced by Asymmetric Vibrations
title_full_unstemmed Training System for White Cane Technique Using Illusory Pulling Cues Induced by Asymmetric Vibrations
title_short Training System for White Cane Technique Using Illusory Pulling Cues Induced by Asymmetric Vibrations
title_sort training system for white cane technique using illusory pulling cues induced by asymmetric vibrations
topic Illusory force sensation
touch technique
training system
white cane
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9702135/
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AT koukidoi trainingsystemforwhitecanetechniqueusingillusorypullingcuesinducedbyasymmetricvibrations
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