Vestibular sensory substitution using tongue electrotactile display

Abstract

Sensory substitution systems provide their users with environmental information through a human sensory channel different from that normally used. For example, a person who is blind may use a long cane to detect obstacles while walking and Braille or raised-line graphics to read information normally received visually. A person who is deaf may read lips to understand speech. A person without vision or hearing may use a method called Tadoma, placing his or her hands over the face and neck of a speaker to understand speech [1]. Persons with an impaired vestibular (balance) system use their hands, not primarily for mechanical support, but to sense how they move relative to their environment. Electronic sensors and tactile (touch) displays enable more sophisticated applications for sensory substitution. In this chapter we will briefly review visual and auditory sensory substitution, as well as tactile feedback in robotic systems, followed by an extended discussion of vestibular sensory substitution.