Sound-Based Navigation Could Help Blind and Low-Vision Workers
Researchers developed a spatial audio system that guides users through manual tasks with high accuracy, even in poor lighting. The finding could reshape workplace accessibility standards and open new markets for assistive technology companies serving the estimated 2.2 billion people globally with vision impairment.
Originaltitel: Augmenting the dark: Exploring assistive micro-guidance in sonified mixed reality
<p>This thesis proposes a series of user evaluations of spatialized sonification methods rendered as AR in simulated and real-life scenarios. It proposes and promotes next-generation micro-guidance methods for low-visibility and vision-impaired (VI) scenarios. In 2D hand-guidance, results (N=47) outlined that sound spatiality methods had the most promising performance in time taken and distance from target. When assessing vertical hand-guidance in a 3D task (N=19), results indicated a significantly higher accuracy for a novel height-to-pitch method. Finally, a significant disparity was found between VI (N=20) and sighted (N=77) people regarding sighted people’s empathy with the VI community. After an AR blindness embodiment experience, sighted people’s (N=15) empathetic and sympathetic responses towards said community significantly increased. Ultimately, this thesis evaluates how audio AR can help users to have accurate and safe performances in day-to-day manual tasks.</p>