Walking guide tactile interface for the visually impaired using plural self-calibrating sensors

For the achievement of easy and non-stress blind walk for the visually impaired, we have been studied about the tactile stimulative travel guide interface. It is observed in our previous system that subjects meet with the difficulty in walking stairs or floor figure changeable situation by using mono point-stimulating tactile device. This paper deals with the performance improvement of walking guide system using plural distributed point- stimulating devices on limbs and forehead aiming at the rough place, e.g. stairs. For the sake of compensation against the human's quite low tactile sensing resolution, 2-step self-calibrated signal conversion method is discussed in this paper.