CAREER: Adaptive Electro-Braille: A New Tactile Sensory Substitution and Assistive Technology for the Blind and Visually Impaired

提案号：1352006pi。机构：内华达大学校务委员会，NSHE， obo - University of Nevada-RenoTitle：职业：自适应电子盲文：盲人和视障人士的一种新的触觉感官替代和辅助技术更广泛的意义和重要性：先进的辅助技术对盲人和视障人士的福祉至关重要。英属维尔京群岛社区需要可由各种用户操作的触摸敏感显示器来获取信息。目前的技术还没有配备允许英属维尔京群岛随时随地访问的功能，适应性和使用不便。该研究项目将开发基于电子扫描技术的工具，该技术适用于手指可穿戴触摸设备，可用于扫描包括盲文在内的各种对象。技术描述：为了帮助盲人和视障人士（BVI）社区“看到”，需要自适应、感应、个性化和便携式的辅助触觉显示器。目前可用的触觉辅助显示器没有配备允许英属维尔京群岛方便地“看到”的功能。这一长期职业目标是促进电触觉传感、渲染和计算的进步，使其进入下一代智能、以个人感知为中心的便携式辅助显示器，以帮助英属维尔京群岛建立一个用户友好的网络基础设施，以增强医疗保健、学习能力和教育。特别地，本CAREER提案的研究目标是研究一种基于电子扫描式、自适应触觉偏好呈现和手指可穿戴的基于电触觉的盲文显示技术。这项技术基于电刺激，具有在线皮肤生物阻抗感应和触觉偏好渲染功能，称为E-Braille。这项技术将允许英属维尔京群岛方便地执行重要任务，如阅读、输入盲文、浏览互联网、参与在线对话和感知图形。此外，结合网络基础设施网络技术，e -盲文将使英属维尔京群岛能够随时随地方便地访问更多的文件、书籍和图书馆。一个同样重要的目标是招聘和培训下一代工程师，他们不仅具有扎实的工程和科学学科背景，而且有激情和能力在多学科辅助和康复工程领域贡献他们的专业知识。这个CAREER项目的成功将促进帮助英属维尔京群岛的研究，并将推进我们对电触觉机制的基本理解。主要研究重点是为英属维尔京群岛开发一种自适应的、以个人感知为中心的、基于电触觉的盲文显示器，被称为E-Braille，它是一种独特的手指可穿戴电子设备，将方便地为英属维尔京群岛提供无限的信息世界。该显示器还将是同类产品中第一个包括个人触觉偏好的在线识别以及个人自适应触觉偏好调整/渲染的能力。目前可用的盲文显示器没有这些功能。这项职业提案旨在推动英属维尔京群岛便携式视觉辅助设备的发展。它将通过开发EBraille来实现这一目标，EBraille是一种价格合理且创新的基于电刺激的盲文触觉显示器。该系统将提供快速、可更新的信息交换。拟议中的自适应电子盲文将极大地提高英属维尔京群岛居民的生活质量，使他们能够更独立、更轻松地生活。作为该项目的一个组成部分，PI将根据研究结果开发教育材料，指导多学科工程专业的学生。研究结果还将激发一项旨在吸引K-12学生、女性、代表性不足的少数民族和残疾人（例如英属维尔京群岛）学习科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）学科以及参与这一令人兴奋的前沿研究项目的推广工作。最后，研究和教育成果将通过在会议上的演讲、同行评议的期刊、门户网站、杂志、报纸、电视和其他媒体上的出版物以及向参与英属维尔京群岛辅助技术和系统的社区传播

Proposal Number: 1352006P.I.: Yantao ShenInstitution: Board of Regents, NSHE, obo University of Nevada-RenoTitle: CAREER: Adaptive Electro-Braille: A New Tactile Sensory Substitution and Assistive Technology for the Blind and Visually ImpairedBroader Significance & Importance:Advanced assistive technologies are critical to the well-being of the blind and visually impaired (BVI). Touch sensitive displays that can be operated by a variety of users are needed to gain information by the BVI community. Currently technology is not equipped with features that permit the BVI anytime/anywhere access and are not adaptable and convenient for use. This research project will develop tools that are based on electronic scanning technology adapted to a finger-wearable touch device that can be used to scan a variety of objects including Braille text.Technical Description:In order to assist the Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) community to "see", assistive tactile displays that are adaptive, sensorized, individualized, and portable are required. Currently available tactile assistive displays are not equipped with features that permit the BVI to "see" conveniently. This long-term CAREER goal is to facilitate the advances in electrotactile sensing, rendering, and computation into the next generation of smart, individual perception-centered, and portable assistive display to aid the BVI as well to establish a user-friendly and networked infrastructure for enhancing healthcare, learning capabilities and education. In particular, the research objective of this CAREER proposal is to investigate an electrotactile based Braille display technology that is electronic scanning-style, adaptive tactile preference rendering, and finger-wearable. This technology is based on electrical stimulation, and has both online skin bioimpedance sensing and tactile preference rendering functions, called E-Braille. This technology will allow the BVI to conveniently perform important tasks, such as reading, typing in Braille, browsing the Internet, engaging in online conversations, and perceiving graphics. Further, combined with cyber-infrastructure network technology, E-Braille will allow the BVI to conveniently access more documents, books, and libraries, anytime and anywhere. An equally important goal is the recruitment and training of the next generation of engineers who will emerge not only with a solid background in engineering and science disciplines but also have the passion and ability to contribute their expertise in multidisciplinary assistive and rehabilitative engineering areas. The success of this CAREER project will facilitate research to aid the BVI and will advance our fundamental understanding of electrotactile mechanisms. The major research focus is the development of an adaptive, individual perception-centered, and electrotactile-based Braille display for the BVI, known as E-Braille, which is unique as a fingerwearable electronic device, and will conveniently provide the BVI unlimited access to the information world. The display also will be the first of its kind to include online identification of individual tactile preferences as well as the ability for adaptive tactile preference tuning/rendering for individuals. Currently available Braille displays do not have these features. This CAREER proposal aims to advance the state of the art in portable seeing- assistive devices for the BVI. It will accomplish this goal through the development of EBraille, an affordable and innovative electrical stimulation-based Braille tactile display. This system will offer fast, refreshable information exchange. The proposed adaptive E-Braille will dramatically improve the quality of life of the BVI by allowing them to live more independently and with greater ease. As an integrative part of this project, the PI will develop educational materials inspired by the research results, directed toward students in multidisciplinary engineering program. The research results also will inspire an outreach effort aimed at attracting K-12 students, women, under-represented minorities, and persons with disabilities (e.g., the BVI) to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines as well as to participate in this exciting and cutting-edge research project. Finally, both research and educational results will be disseminated by means of presentations at conferences, publications in peer-reviewed journals, web portals, magazines, newspapers, TV and other media, and to the community involved in BVI assistive technology and systems