Geometric Shape Detection with Soundview

We present the results of user studies that were performed on sighted people to test their ability to detect simple shapes with SoundView. SoundView is an experimental vision substitution system for the blind. Visual images are mapped onto a virtual surface with a fine-grained color dependent roughness texture. The user explores an image by moving a pointer device over the image which creates sounds. The current prototype uses a Wacom graphics tablet as a pointer device. The pointer acts like a virtual gramophone needle, and the sound produced depends on the motion as well as on the color of the area explored. An extension of SoundView also allows haptic feedback and we have compared the performance of users using auditory and/or haptic feedback.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2004
• Where: ICAD
• Authors: Kees van den Doel, Daniel Smilek, Adam Bodnar, Christian Chita, Richard Corbett, Dmitry Nekrasovski, Joanna McGrenere
• Keywords: Emerging Technology, Haptic Feedback, ICAD 2004, Pointer Device, SoundView