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A new software tool has been developed, which will help the visually impaired to navigate through unfamiliar places by creating virtual maps.
This new tool has been created by Orly Lahav of the School of Education and Porter School for Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University (TAU).
Lahav's new software tool is connected to an existing joystick, a 3-D haptic device that interfaces with the user through the sense of touch.
The tool, called the Blind Aid, was recently unveiled at the "Virtual Rehabilitation 2009 International Conference." Lahav had demonstrated case studies of people using it at the Carroll Centre for the Blind in Newton, Massachusetts.
There, a partially blind woman first explored the virtual environment of the centre - as well as the campus and 10 other sites, including a four-story building. After just three or four sessions, the woman was able to effectively navigate and explore real-world target sites wearing a blindfold.
The software can also be programmed to emit sounds .The new solution gives the visually impaired control, confidence and ability to explore new streets, thus making unknown spaces familiar. It allows people who can't see to make mental maps in their mind.
Lahav says, “This tool lets the blind 'touch' and 'hear' virtual objects and deepens their sense of space, distance and perspective.”
