Fingertip Vibratory Transducer For Detecting Optical Edges Using Regenerative Feedback

We present a new method for sensing the visual environment using multiple transducers, each mounted on an individual fingertip to sense a single point in the visual surroundings. Unlike many light-to-tactile transducer systems that use a camera to capture an entire image, our system delegates to each finger the task of interrogating its own independent small region of the physical environment by means of a small laser system, which converts properly oriented edges into tactile vibration. The system may allow visually impaired individuals to interact with the environment by "feeling" objects at a distance, such as sidewalk curbs, doorways, or furniture, by combining Multiple fingertip interrogations of object boundaries. We describe in this paper an initial prototype and report very preliminary results on its use by a single subject.