Augmenting the senses with remote touch

In order to move around in the world safely and quickly most of us are highly reliant on our visual sense. When vision is compromised, either through disability, or through circumstance (for instance a fire-fighter in a smoke-filled room), the problem of safely finding our way becomes much more difficult. This project will look at the possibility of augmenting our existing senses with a form of ‘remote touch’ generated by using artificial distance sensors to stimulate tactile displays attached to the skin. The idea is that users may be able to actively control such devices in order to gain useful information about objects and surfaces in the world that can guide movement. The development of augmented sense technologies could lead to aids for the visually-impaired or enhanced mobility systems for the emergency services.

See www.shef.ac.uk/psychology/research/groups/atlas for details of ongoing research in the Active Touch Laboratory.