Legibility

About: Legibility is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1952 publications have been published within this topic receiving 24394 citations.

Legibility and predictability of robot motion

Abstract: A key requirement for seamless human-robot collaboration is for the robot to make its intentions clear to its human collaborator. A collaborative robot's motion must be legible, or intent-expressive. Legibility is often described in the literature as and effect of predictable, unsurprising, or expected motion. Our central insight is that predictability and legibility are fundamentally different and often contradictory properties of motion. We develop a formalism to mathematically define and distinguish predictability and legibility of motion. We formalize the two based on inferences between trajectories and goals in opposing directions, drawing the analogy to action interpretation in psychology. We then propose mathematical models for these inferences based on optimizing cost, drawing the analogy to the principle of rational action. Our experiments validate our formalism's prediction that predictability and legibility can contradict, and provide support for our models. Our findings indicate that for robots to seamlessly collaborate with humans, they must change the way they plan their motion.

Optical-to-Tactile Image Conversion for the Blind

Abstract: This paper describes two optical-to-tactile imageconversion systems being developed for the blind. The first is a reading aid in which an area on the printed page about the size of a letterspace is translated into a corresponding vibratory tactile image. The tactile image is produced by a 24-by-6 array of pins driven by piezoelectric bimorphs. The array of 144 pins fits on the distal and a portion of the middle phalanges of one finger. The piezoelectric bimorphs cause the pins to impact the skin in a nonlinear manner. Precise measurements on this bimorph-finger system are given. These measurements also show that shades of "grey" can be displayed by sequentially varying the threshold level. Three experiments conducted with the reading aid involved measurement of legibility, reading rate, and the effect of field of view. Legibility in the 92-98 percent range was obtained at the design magnification. A reading rate of 50 words per minute was achieved with one subject after roughly 160 hours of practice. Three other subjects achieved reading rates of over 10 words per minute after about 40 hours of practice. Reading rate increased markedly as the number of columns in the array was varied from one to six. The second optical-to-tactile image-conversion system is merely an extension of the first to permit information to be acquired from the environment. In fact, ultimately only one system with two sets of optics, one appropriate for the printed page and one appropriate for environment sensing, would be used.

Evaluating Architectural Legibility: Way-Finding in the Built Environment

Abstract: One potentially significant yet little investigated criterion for postoccupancy evaluation is the "legibility" of a setting—the degree to which a building facilitates the ability of users to find their way within it. The present study evaluated the legibility of a sample of ten university buildings. Self-report data indicated way-finding to be a problem for a substantial minority. The impact upon way-finding of several theoretically derived visual/spatial variables was also assessed. Two aspects of the floor plan configurations of these settings, as judged from highly significant relationships to frequency of disorientation. One of these variables, judged simplicity of floor plan configuration, was able to account for 56% of the variance in these data. One other potentially important variable, respondents' own familiarity with these buildings, was able to account for but 9% of the variance in frequency of disorientation data.

Positioning Names on Maps

Abstract: Prof. Dr. Eduard Imhof, dean of European cartographers, has been an astute student of the esthetic-scientific characteristics of the cartographic method. In this paper published 13 years ago, he draws upon his long experience in map design and production to formulate a series of precepts about positioning or locating the lettering on maps in relation to the various functional aspects of the map and the individual named features. Noting that legibility and clarity of the map depend on good name positioning—each name having only one optimum position on the map—he encourages the use of a graphic draft of lettering to determine this position.