Development of a portable and low-cost haptic communication device for visually impaired people

Abstract

Despite communication advances, visually impaired people have limited access to these technologies. The objective of this research is to develop a wearable, cost-effective, and user-friendly haptic communication device for visually impaired people. Through Wi-Fi, a smartphone and a haptic communication device are connected. The haptic device receives text messages from the smartphone and turns the English text into braille. This system includes vibration motors that vibrate in a predetermined pattern. By using the vibration motors, they can easily read the message by sensing the vibration. Those who have knowledge of English Braille can use it after a simple training session. Also, blind people can type and send text messages on a smart device using a special Braille keypad. This device has been tested on 10 people. Each participant was presented with 10 random words on two occasions, with a time delay of 500 ms and 1000 ms between two letters. According to the test results, the average success rate for character recognition is 82%. Further, the ideal time delay between two words was identified as 1000 ms. The Braille Oriented Message System (B-Chat) is a device similar to a haptic communication device. Compared to B-Chat, the haptic communication device is portable and offers the ability to exchange messages with ordinary people. This can be offered in the market for less than 10,000 rupees. This haptic communication device for visually impaired people has been designed and developed, and its use enables text message conversations.