Constructive exploration of spatial information by blind users

Abstract

When blind people wish to walk through an area not fully known to them, they have to prepare themselves even more thoroughly than sighted pedestrians. We propose a new approach to support this preparation with the help of an interactive computer method, called constructive exploration. Using this method, the user is guided in physically constructing the spatial arrangement to be learned using building blocks. We describe two implementations of the concept, one with a graspable interface with object tracking and the other employing a force feedback device. We report on first tests of the implementations.