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2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Fundamental research into the production and use of sound information by visually impaired people actively tapping with a white cane

Research Project

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Project/Area Number 18K18698
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section Medium-sized Section 10:Psychology and related fields
Research InstitutionTokyo International University

Principal Investigator

Nunokawa Kiyohiko  東京国際大学, 人間社会学部, 教授 (90376658)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) 井野 秀一  大阪大学, 大学院工学研究科, 教授 (70250511)
関 喜一  国立研究開発法人産業技術総合研究所, 情報・人間工学領域, 上級主任研究員 (60357316)
酒向 慎司  名古屋工業大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (30396791)
Project Period (FY) 2018-06-29 – 2024-03-31
Keywords白杖 / 聴覚 / 音響情報 / 硬さ / 間接触 / 視覚障害 / 移動支援
Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study experimentally examined the effect of actively produced auditory information as the white cane comes into contact with an object on the environmental perception of visually impaired people. Auditory information produced by mechanically tapping rubber plates of different hardness with a white cane was measured. Furthermore, a totally blind person and a sighted person wearing an eye mask tapped rubber plates of different hardness with different grips (Index finger grasp, Pencil grasp, and Thumb grasp), respectively, and the differences in hardness were estimated using the magnitude estimation method. These results showed that visually impaired people need auditory and tactile information when estimating hardness, and that the white cane is a tool to emphasize the hardness information. The development of this study can be used to improve gait training programs, develop VR-based gait training systems, and elucidate the mechanisms of multimodality.

Free Research Field

実験心理学,福祉工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は,視覚障害者が積極的に知ろうとする対象を白杖で叩いたときに対象が発する音の効果について,実験的に検討するものである.これにより,音と環境認知との関係に関する新しい知見を収集する.そして,得られた知見に基づき,1) 音による対象認知と間接触に関する基礎研究と2) 視覚障害者の誘導支援に役立つ支援機器開発に関連する研究を発展させることができるかどうかについて検討することである.本研究の発展は,a) 音情報による対象認知や間接触の機序解明の基礎的知見となり,b) これまでに行われてきている白杖の経験的な利用方法に基礎づけを与え,白杖を用いた視覚障害者の歩行訓練に役立つことが期待できる.

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Published: 2025-01-30  

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