Improvement and Evaluation of Object Shape Presentation System Using Linear Actuators

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to develop a system that can present object shapes to visually impaired people. We developed and evaluated a prototype system that can present height information using linear actuators, and can also re-edit the presented information in the same system. In a verification experiment using the prototype system, it was found that the recognition rate for small objects about 10 mm square was low. Therefore, we added a marker function to the prototype to discriminate between unsearched and searched areas to improve the search accuracy for users, and verified the usefulness of this function. Although, the use of the marker function did not decrease the search time, it may improve the recognition rate for small objects.