Tactile Navigation (TINA)

TINA is a project around the growing interest around haptics and vibrotactile technology, which is developing at a high rate in the music and gaming world. There are thousands of new start-ups trying to discover innovative ways to use vibrotactile technology. When (electric) vehicles become quieter and produce weaker vibrations, the risk of accidents with pedestrians increases. In the near future, electrified vehicles such as taxis, scooters, mopeds and buses will be common. These vehicles often pose an information problem for users with ability variations such as hearing loss, deafness, blindness and deafblindness.

TINA is relevant for inclusion, health and welfare with the greatest impact on social relations and social issues through the development of traffic environment perception via vibrotactile communication. The project aims to expand the communication repertoire for people with deafblindness, deafness, hearing loss and the general public. More areas where TINA can be useful are for example navigation in a busy environment as well as travelling with boat, train and air flight. Today, personal accompaniment is mainly used. in addition the tactile interface has the potential to be used in other contexts, and not only by people with disabilities, e g work with obscured vision, and in noisy environments.

The system's idea is that a vehicle, e g car, scooter, moped, bicycle, should be able to be identified. The information must be transmitted tactile to the user, so that safe navigation in a busy environment can happen. Our research aims to create safe and aesthetic situations in an emerging urban landscape where electric vehicles with new kinds of sound are becoming increasingly common. The result of the project is an experience prototype (simulator) that shows how users can experience a vehicle through vibrotactility.