Existing research in the area of tactile perception has shown the potential of haptic (touch based) interfaces for human-machine interaction. In this project, the PI will seek to advance the scientific underpinnings and technology necessary for the development of assistive haptic user interfaces for individuals who are blind, by exploring two key research issues that must be resolved before "natural" and effective interfaces of this type can be deployed.
First, he will design and conduct experiments with human subjects to better understand the haptic perception process, so that he can model the psychological basis of assistive haptics. A fundamental issue in haptic object identification is dimensional salience. Common objects differ along a myriad of dimensions, including their size, shape, texture, weight and material. We know little about which dimensions are primary in haptic object identification, how this information is represented in memory, and whether retention properties by various subgroups of individuals who are blind follow qualitatively similar functions compared to the sighted.
Second, he will design novel haptic rendering techniques that allow people to "hold" and explore complex virtual objects through multi-point contact sensations. Prevalent approaches to haptic rendering do not incorporate the nuances of the human haptic perceptual system. The PI will develop a library of surface interrogation tools that can analyze a given virtual object and automatically assign realistic haptic features to it, and will incorporate results from the psychological experiments into the design of new real-time rendering algorithms that support a two-handed haptic interface that can be delivered through a pair of gloves in a body-centric reference frame.
The PI's goal is to achieve significant preliminary results, which will provide the basis for an expanded research program aimed at developing an assistive system for blind individuals affording distal object perception in real environments.
Broader Impacts: This research will make contributions of both a technical and societal nature. Significant technical contributions will be made through this research in the fields of collaborative human computer interfaces, universal access and assistive devices, haptic rendering, multimedia systems and the psychological knowledge base of haptics. The social impact of development of spatial perception devices lies in the empowerment of individuals who are blind and visually impaired to overcome their sensory limitationss, increasing their independence and potential for huamn-human interaction.
