Multimodal augmentation of surfaces using conductive 3D printing

Abstract

Accessible tactile pictures (ATPs) consist of tactile representations that convey different kinds of messages and present information through the sense of touch. Traditional approaches use contours and patterns, which create a distinct and recognizable shape and enables separate objects to be identified. The success rate for recognizing pictures by touch is much lower than it would be for vision. Besides that, some pictures are more frequently recognized than others. Finally, there is also some variation from individual to individual: while some blind people recognize many images, others recognize few. Auditory support can improve the points listed before, even eliminating the need for sighted assistance.