Virtual Reality Application for Blind People in Unknown Interior Spaces

Abstract

Virtual reality applications (VRA) with 3D sounds on smartphones were used by six blind adults for indoor navigation. Each application provided users with three audio outputs with linear, logarithmic and customized response curves, that guided them during their tour within a real scenario that was previously virtualized using Unity 3D. The audio was transmitted, via low-power Bluetooth, from the mobile to the bone conduction headphones that were used to guide the user during his tour through an unknown space. The user's avatar moved through the virtualized environment simultaneously with the participant's movements in the real scenario. The movements of the user and the duration of the tour to go from a starting point to a target point were recorded each tour, in order to compare the efficiency and precision achieved by each sound during navigation. This research established that the VRA with a female voice and a customized response, improved the efficiency by 59% in locating target points within unfamiliar environments (p-value= 0.03614) compared to musical sound having a logarithmic response. Furthermore, it was found that the female voice and the 440Hz beeps increase the navigation precision compared to musical sound. 3D sound for indoor navigation could replace the sounds inside the place, with a small variation in efficiency and precision.