Obstacle Identification and Avoidance Using the 'EyeCane': a Tactile Sensory Substitution Device for Blind Individuals

One of the main challenges facing the blind and visually impaired is independent mobility without being obtrusive to their environment. We developed a tactile low-cost finger-size sensory substitution device, the EyeCane, to aid the Blind in obstacle identification and avoidance in an unobtrusive manner. A simplified version of the EyeCane was tested on 6 sighted blindfolded participants who were naive to the device. After a short (2-3 min) training period they were asked to identify and avoid knee-to-waist-high (Side) and sidewalk-height (Floor) obstacles using the EyeCane. Avoidance included walking around or stepping over the obstacles. We show that in the fifth trial, participants correctly identified 87 +/- 13.6 % (mean +/- SD) and correctly avoided 63 +/- 15 % of the side obstacles compared to 14 % in the control condition (p < 4E-10 and p < 1.1E-05 respectively). For Floor obstacles, participants correctly identified 79 +/- 18.8 % and correctly avoided 41 +/- % 37.6 compared to the control's 10 % (p < 0.002 and p < 0.06 respectively).