'Seeing' through Virtual Touch Is Believing
From: Wireless Design & Development - 08/11/2014

Surprising results from University of Cincinnati research could lead to new
ways to help the visually impaired better navigate everyday life.

Visual impairment comes in many forms, and it's on the rise in America. A
University of Cincinnati experiment aimed at this diverse and growing
population could spark development of advanced tools to help all the aging
baby boomers, injured veterans, diabetics and white-cane-wielding pedestrians
navigate the blurred edges of everyday life. These tools could be based on a
device called the Enactive Torch, which looks like a combination between a TV
remote and Captain Kirk's weapon of choice. But it can do much greater things
than change channels or stun aliens.

The handheld torch uses infra-red sensors to "see" objects in front of it.
When the torch detects an object, it emits a vibration - similar to a
cellphone alert - through an attached wristband. The gentle buzz increases in
intensity as the torch nears the object, letting the user make judgments
about where to move based on a virtual touch.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.wirelessdesignmag.com/news/2014/08/seeing-through-virtual-touch-believing
http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=20215

Links:
Enactive Torch
http://www.creative-robotics.com/et
http://www.creative-robotics.com/sites/default/files/Datasheets/Enactive%20Torch%20V3.pdf

Luis Favela
http://www.artsci.uc.edu/faculty-staff/listing/by_dept/philosophy.html?eid=favelalh

The Enactive Torch: A New Tool for the Science of Perception
http://froese.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/froese-et-al-12-the-enactive-torch-a-new-tool-for-the-science-of-perception.pdf