Periodic Vibrotactile Guidance

Abstract

Summary form only given, as follows. For many kinds of locomotion - e.g. walking, running, cycling - speed is a function of stride-length and cadence: generally, the walker, runner, or cyclist can control either one to move faster or slower. We've recently shown that we can guide a pedestrian's walking rate with a vibratory tap to which they synchronize cadence (see “Susceptibility to Periodic Vibrotactile Guidance of Human Cadence” by Karuei & MacLean). In this demo, we use the wrist-worn Haptic Notifier and RRACE (our Cadence Estimation Algorithm) on an Android phone, and show how they work together to help a pedestrian decide when to start moving and guide him/her to pace at the right speed to reach a destination on time. Wear the Haptic Notifier device, hold the Android phone in one hand, and walk/cycle to a destination (or pretend to). Compare arrival time with/without guidance, test the system response to being ahead or behind in time, and explore different usage strategies.