Rapid technological advances are opening up many new avenues for those with hearing or vision problems to better communicate and interact with the world around them. We have recently covered a device that translates visual information into audible information for the blind, and another that visually displays a translation of sign language for the hard of hearing, for instance. But for the millions of deafblind individuals in the world, there are far fewer suitable options available to them in the world of assistive technology.
A team of researchers at Nottingham Trent University has come up with a clever solution that they hope will help to fill this unmet need. They have created what they call the Vibrotac-Glove, a haptic glove that can turn spoken words, alarms, doorbells, and other sounds into physical sensations that can be felt on the wearer’s fingers. This unique solution has the potential to give the deafblind a window into the world like they have never had before.
A closer look at the hardware design (📷: M. Ehelagasthenna et al.)
The glove operates using haptic electronic yarns (E-yarns) — a textile technology that embeds tiny electronic components directly into fabric fibers. These E-yarns contain miniature eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motors, which create carefully tuned vibrations that the user can feel. These vibrations are transmitted through the tops of the fingers, just below the knuckles. An Arduino Nano 33 IoT development board is the glove’s primary controller.
The ERM motors are encapsulated in a 3D-printed casing and sealed with UV-curable resin to protect the electronics from moisture and wear. For added strength and flexibility, high-tensile Vectran fibers are integrated alongside the wiring, and everything is braided into a durable, textile-like sheath made from double-covered Lycra.
Each of the embedded motors is capable of vibrating at different frequencies, intensities, and durations, effectively encoding information such as words, numbers, or alerts in a tactile form similar to braille. By doing so, the glove can create a kind of “vibration language” that communicates with the wearer through touch.
The glove pairs with a smartphone companion app (📷: M. Ehelagasthenna et al.)
For operation, the glove relies on artificial intelligence (AI) to interpret conversations, environmental sounds, or smartphone notifications. This AI processes the auditory information and translates it into a summary, which is then transmitted to the glove’s actuators. Users feel a sequence of pulses — varying in timing and pattern — that they learn to associate with specific meanings, such as someone greeting them or an announcement over a loudspeaker.
The device was tested in a series of trials with ten participants. The initial results were promising, with users correctly identifying the haptic signals up to 80% of the time. The index and ring fingers, in particular, proved to be the most sensitive and accurate for recognizing distinct vibration patterns.
For the millions of people that could benefit from it, the Vibrotac-Glove could provide a new and powerful way to understand the world through touch. The team’s combination of cutting-edge textiles, haptic feedback, and AI might be a pattern that other researchers could utilize in the future to offer these individuals further assistance.
