Wearable Finger-Braille Interface for Navigation of Deaf-Blind in Ubiquitous Barrier-Free Space

In this paper, the implementation of Finger-Braille interfaces for navigation of Deaf-Blind people and the ubiquitous environment for barrier-free application are described. Finger-Braille is one of the commonly used communication methods among Deaf-Blind people in Japan. Two types of Finger-Braille devices, the vibration motor type and the solenoid type, are developed. Each device is connected to a wearable computer, so that Deaf-Blind people can use it in their daily life. In order to support the wearable computers with the Finger-Braille device, a ubiquitous environment is designed and developed at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), the University of Tokyo. This environment consists of wireless LAN networks, network cameras, and floor-embedded active radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. In this environment, Deaf-Blind people can be guided and can obtain various types of information by using a wearable computer equipped with the Finger-Braille device and an RFID tag reader.