From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from salyko.cube.net (salyko.cube.net [194.97.64.2]) by redhat.com (8.7.4/8.7.3) with ESMTP id HAA04432 for ; Thu, 21 Nov 1996 07:56:31 -0500 Received: from goldfish(really [194.97.65.88]) by salyko.cube.net via sendmail with esmtp id for ; Thu, 21 Nov 1996 13:58:14 +0100 (MET) (Smail-3.2 1996-Jul-4 #1 built DST-Sep-18) Received: (qmail 253 invoked from smtpd); 20 Nov 1996 17:21:53 -0000 Received: from softdnserror (HELO localhost) (127.0.0.1) by softdnserror with SMTP; 20 Nov 1996 17:21:53 -0000 Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 18:19:12 +0100 (MET) From: Hans Zoebelein To: blinux-list@redhat.com Subject: Virtual Reality and the Blind (fwd) Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII List-Id: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 10:37:21 -0500 From: Gerald Weichbrodt Reply-To: Access to GUI via Speech To: GUISPEAK@LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU Subject: Virtual Reality and the Blind It just so happens that I just came back from a meeting on virtual reality. As I was sitting at this meeting, my imagination ran wild. Allow me to try a few ideas on you for size: Suppose that, instead of trying to build a full-page refreshable graphics display, we just attached tactile stimulators to those parts of the hands that would be used to feel the braille page. Then suppose we had software to track the hands so that the computer would know what we were "touching." You could replace a full page of tactile stimulators with just the set you'd need to stimulate those parts of the hands that would want to feel the braille. The computer could simulate the panning of braille or tactile graphics past the fingers as the fingers moved over the virtual surface. Take it one step farther: The virtual book. Why not track the fingers as they went through the motions of turning a page or a group of pages. Then, once the pages were turned, just present the new page's information on the virtual braille display. Now you wouldn't have to lug and store whole braille volumes. You'd just need a diskette or hard disk copy of the braille and the equipment to present it in a virtual manner to the reader. All this seems possible, and, given time, I bet it could become cost-effective. What do you think? Jerry