N. Sribunruangrit

Bio: N. Sribunruangrit is an academic researcher from Centre national de la recherche scientifique. The author has contributed to research in topics: Braille & Tactile perception. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 3 publications receiving 23 citations.

Braille box: analysis of the parallelism concept to access graphic information for blind people

Abstract: According to the parallelism concept, the more sensors we use, the more precisely and easily we could access information. The "Braille Box" has been developed by modifying Braille cells to form an array of tactile stimulators which is compatible with the fingertip. Each pin can be controlled independently so that we can change the size and type of array to study the tactile perception of simple and more complex graphical shapes and therefore control the parallelism of inputs in this visual-tactile perception device. The result from the experiment with 25 subjects shows us that the quality of perception is influenced by the characteristic of array. The main result is that the form detection is made easier with a multiple sensor array rather than with the mono sensor array. Some other parameters, such as the type of form, the strategy of exploration, also influence the recognition performance. Further experiments need to be done with this Braille Box in order to improve this device and help blind people to access graphic information.

Graphic-user-interface system for people with severely impaired vision in mathematics class

Abstract: Computer software is more and more developed based on graphic-user-interface system (GUI) in order to be user-friendly program However, this development creates some difficulties for people with impaired vision to use the computers The "Braille Box", an assistive device, has been developed by modifying Braille cells to form a tactile stimulator array which is compatible with the fingertip This device allows people with impaired vision to access graphic information on computer screen by tactile perception We applied the "Braille Box" in mathematics class focused on linear graph, with visually impaired children The result shows that they can perform task as determining the slope, the intercept and the coordinates of the intersection of two lines

Application of parallelism concept to tracking task by blind people

Abstract: In general, application of the parallelism concept enables information to be accessed more precisely and easily when the number of sensors is high. We have developed a "Braille Box" by modifying Braille cells to form a tactile stimulator array which is compatible with a fingertip. Each pin can be controlled independently so that we can change the size and type of array in order to study the tactile perception of both simple and complex graphical forms. Our results show that by applying the parallelism concept to this device, blind people can increase the speed of exploration with smoother movement during a tracking task.

Sensory substitution: limits and perspectives

Abstract: A quarter of a century ago, in the preface to Brain Mechanisms in Sensory« Substitution », Paul Bach y Rita wrote: "This monograph thus risks becoming outdated in a very short time since the development of refined sensory substitution systems should allow many of the question raised here to be answered, and some of the conclusions may appear naive to future readers." (BACH Y RITA, 1972) As it turns out, this prediction is far from having been fulfilled: in spite of their scientific and social interest, their real effectiveness and a certain technological development, prosthetic devices employing the principle of "sensory substitution" are not widely used by the blind persons for whom they were originally destined. After a brief recall of the general principle of sensory substitution, we will advance several hypotheses to account for this situation. We will then identify some elements which may favour the conception and, especially, the usability of future devices. To this end, we will focus our analysis on the work of Bach-y-Rita, particularly well documented, devoted to TVSS (Tactile Vision Sensory Substitution) since the 1960's. This choice is motivated by the extensive and exemplary nature of this research, devoted to the rehabilitation of a handicapped population, as an enterprise which is both technical and scientific in character. We will also present the specific interest of substitution systems employing tactile stimulation, and we will emphasize the essential coordination of fundamental and technological research in this area. In addition, besides their direct utility for handicapped persons, these devices open broad experimental and theoretical perspectives on cognition in general (brain plasticity, perception, intentionality, etc....)

Speed-accuracy tradeoff during performance of a tracking task without visual feedback

Abstract: To help people with visual impairment, especially people with severely impaired vision, access graphic information on a computer screen, we have carried out fundamental research on the effect of increasing the number of detection fields. In general, application of the parallelism concept enables information to be accessed more precisely and easily when the number of sensors is high. We have developed a "Braille Box" by modifying Braille cells to form a tactile stimulator array which is compatible with the fingertip. Each pin can be controlled independently so that we can change the size and type of array in order to study the tactile perception of both simple and complex graphical forms. Our results show that by applying the parallelism concept to the detection field, people with visual impairment can increase the speed of exploration of geometric forms without decreasing the level of accuracy: thus, avoiding a speed-accuracy tradeoff. Further experiments need to be done with this Braille Box in order to improve the device and help people with visual impairment access graphic information.

Designing the ground for pleasurable experience

Abstract: In this article we present a theoretical framework and some models for assisting the conception of tactile communication devices. In order to propose relevant concepts and successful innovative products, designers need to anticipate as early as possible the user experience that will emerge from actual use of the product they are developing. The way the designer imagines the qualities of the product has strong consequences for the possible experience that will be available to the user. However, it is very difficult to accurately anticipate the actual experience of the user; and the lack of knowledge concerning the final user is particularly drastic in the case of high-technology applications, where the potentialities of the technology are hugely superior to the acceptability of the final users. In order to remedy this difficulty, this article presents research from the fields of design, cognitive science and Virtual Reality, in order to understand how lived experience is constituted by the use of a technological device. The aim of this research is to provide guidelines for anticipating user experience in the design process. We found that there are two kinds of perception over time: perceiving the other as part of environment, versus perceiving the activity of other perceiving me. It is by switching between these two kinds of perception that it becomes possible for one subject to understand the position from which the other subject perceives the scene. We call this process the constitution of a « point of view ». From this ability to constitute a system of "points of view", the feeling of sharing a common space with another intentional being can emerge. Finally, we present the application of these considerations to the design of devices for interindividual interaction.

“You never fail to surprise me”: the hallmark of the Other: Experimental study and simulations of perceptual crossing

Abstract: Classically, the question of recognizing another subject is posed unilaterally, in terms of the observed behaviour of the other entity. Here, we propose an alternative, based on the emergent patterns of activity resulting from the interaction of both partners. We employ a minimalist device which forces the subjects to externalize their perceptual activity as trajectories which can be observed and recorded; the results show that subjects do identify the situation of perceptual crossing with their partner. The interpretation of the results is guided by comparable evolutionary robotics simulations. There are two components to subjects’ recognition capacities: distinguishing mobile and fixed entities; and behaving so as to interact with their partner rather than with a mobile lure. The “Other” is characterized by the feature that there is sufficient regularity in the interactions to encourage the formation of anticipations; but sufficient indetermination that the actual behaviour is consistently surprising. Keywords: Recognition of other; perceptual crossing; evolutionary robotics

Remote and local delivery of cisco education for the vision-impaired

Abstract: Vision-impaired students face tremendous obstacles in their quest to access learning materials delivered in web-based and other electronic formats. The predominance of visual prompts, use of flash and animation and the inability of screen reading applications to interpret images all contribute to make much of the current e-learning materials associated with computing studies inaccessible by blind or vision-impaired students. This paper describes a university research project undertaken to improve the accessibility of Cisco e-learning materials for vision-impaired computing students.allThe network architecture which supports the delivery of the Cisco courses to both local and remote vision-impaired students is also presented.