Credit: Device/Preston et al.
Scientists at Rice University in
Houston, Texas have developed a fabric-based wearable device that
"taps" a user's wrist with pressurized air, silently helping them
navigate to their destination. The study, published August 29 in the journal Device,
demonstrated that users correctly interpreted which direction the device was
telling them to go an average of 87% of the time. Since the wearable embeds
most of its control system within the fabric itself, using air instead of
electronics, it can be built lighter and more compact than existing designs.
"We envision this device will
be used by individuals who need or desire information to be transmitted to them
privately and in a way that can be seamlessly integrated into clothing or other
wearables," said Marcia O'Malley, Chair of the Department of Mechanical
Engineering at Rice University and an author of the study.
The wearables may benefit amputees
who use prosthetic limbs, people with hearing loss, and specialists such as surgeons, pilots, and
soldiers who are inundated with visual and auditory information.
Visual and auditory cues like a flashing light on a dashboard or the ping
of a new text message can effectively transmit information. However, many
people are overwhelmed by such cues in their daily lives—and with too many
notifications conveyed the same way, information can get lost in the clutter.
"Haptics," or touch-based stimuli, which include hot or cold
sensations or cues based on pressure applied to the skin, can offer an
alternative.
But while devices that produce visual cues or sounds are prevalent in everyday life, devices that use haptic cues are still uncommon since they usually require bulky hardware that weighs down the wearer.
Navigating city streets using the device .
Credit: Device/Preston et al.
To overcome this obstacle, the Rice
University researchers developed a light, comfortable wearable device from textile materials that can be worn on a
user's arm. The team tested the device by measuring forces applied to the user
as a function of pressure and the shape of the wearable—a task that proved somewhat challenging since
different users had different experiences with cues from the same device, said
Barclay Jumet, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering and the lead author
of the study.
"Every person has a
differently shaped arm, a different perception of what 'feels good' in terms of
the forces applied and the timing of the forces, and different capabilities in
responding to the type of haptic cues we delivered," said Jumet. "Fortunately,
our textile-based platform is easily tailorable and adjustable to a range of
body types and sizes."
After testing the performance of
their haptic textile sleeves in a lab-based study involving human participants,
the researchers set out to see how well these devices could help users navigate
in a real-world scenario. They integrated two of the sleeves into a shirt and
completed the ensemble with a textile belt where they attached auxiliary
components, making the device portable. Next, an experimenter sent cues to the
user wearing the device, directing them where to walk for one kilometer.
"We were impressed that the
user was able to navigate the streets of Houston and subsequently trace
50-meter-long Tetris pieces on an open field with 100% accuracy in receiving
and interpreting navigational haptic cues," said Daniel Preston , an
assistant professor of mechanical engineering and the corresponding author of the study.
In another navigation test, the
participant again interpreted the cues with total accuracy, this time while
riding an electric scooter over paved bricks, concrete sidewalks, and graveled
paths.
"Further development will seek to improve the ability to convey even more complex cues that remain easily and naturally discerned by the user," said Preston.
by Cell Press
Source: A lightweight wearable device helps users navigate with a tap on the wrist (techxplore.com)
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