VR blind cane helps blind people explore virtual reality

Researchers at Microsoft are developing a digital cane, the "Canetroller", with which visually impaired and blind people can explore virtual reality.

In the real world, care is usually taken when designing cities, places and squares to ensure that they are accessible to all people without assistance, including those with physical disabilities. In virtual environments, however, this accessibility does not yet play a major role, especially for blind people. Microsoft researchers want to change this: they are working on a virtual reality cane for the blind, which they call the "Canetroller". The name is a combination of the words cane and controller.

The Canetroller consists of a short wooden stick that can be extended as required in virtual reality, a pulling mechanism that controls the deflection of the real stick and a Vive sensor for precise spatial detection.

Blind people can orientate themselves in virtual reality with the Canetroller

Visually impaired and blind people can use the cane to explore virtual spaces and feel digital objects. When the cane touches an object, users hear a sound that matches the object. The plastic of a rubbish bin sounds different to the wooden leg of a table. The sound can also be located exactly in the room. If users leave the boundaries of the VR room with the stick, a warning tone sounds.

The cane also provides haptic feedback: a cable pull mechanism generates horizontal counter-forces to match a virtual touch. A vibration motor can even be used to convey the surface structure of virtual surfaces. This enables users to distinguish a carpet from a road or feel the bumps on a virtual pedestrian crossing.

Virtual mobility and orientation training

According to the Microsoft researchers, eight out of nine test subjects were able to blindly recognise the structure of a virtual environment with the Canetroller and move around in it. On the one hand, they created an indoor space in which the test subjects had to move and orientate themselves. On the other hand, the researchers simulated a road junction where the users had to cross the busy road safely with the help of traffic lights. According to the researchers, the VR blind stick could therefore also be used for mobility and orientation training, among other things.

Source: VRODO / Youtube /