STTR Phase I: Thermal Imaging Aid to the Blind

这项第一阶段的小型企业技术转移研究开发了一种设备，使盲人或有严重视力障碍的人能够感觉到附近地区的人的位置和活动。该设备将利用一种新的低成本微型热成像传感器技术来检测人们的相对温度，并通过触觉、触敏界面将信息呈现给用户。一个人的社会交往能力是在教育环境、工作场所和娱乐活动中融入和独立的重要因素。盲人或有严重视力障碍的人通常必须仅依靠口头或其他音频提示来识别人和群体活动的位置。在教室或会议环境中，几个人组成的小组很难进行动态跟踪。在派对、观众型体育和舞台表演等社交活动中，感知个人活动的能力对于充分参与非常重要。对于盲人来说，在拥挤的学校食堂或礼堂找到座位这一简单的任务很难独立完成。该项目的更广泛影响将是提供一种使用热成像信息来驱动触觉显示器的设备，使视觉残疾人能够更好地生活。

This Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer research develops a device to allow a blind person or individual with significant vision impairment to sense the location and movements of people in the immediate area. The device will utilize a new low cost and miniature thermal imaging sensor technology to detect the relative warmth of people and present the information to the user via a haptic, touch-sensitive interface. The ability of a person to interact socially is an important factor for integration and independence in educational settings, the workplace, and recreational activities. A blind person or an individual with significant vision impairment typically must rely solely on verbal or other audio cues to identify the locations of people and group activities. Groups of several people in a classroom or meeting setting are difficult to track dynamically. At social events such as parties, spectator sports, and stage presentations the ability to sense individual activities is important to full participation. The simple task of finding a seat in a crowded school cafeteria or auditorium can be difficult for a blind person to do independently. The broader impact of this project will be to provide a device using thermal imaging information to drive a haptic display enabling better lives for visually disabled persons.