BlindAid is a virtual environment (VE) system that enables blind
people to more easily learn about new environments on their own.
The system is implemented on a desktop personal computer with a
Phantom haptic interface and three-dimensional spatialized
audio. In addition to providing blind users with non-visual stimuli
similar to what they will depend on in the actual environment, the
system is designed to enhance and accelerate the user’s
understanding of the unknown environment by giving him/her the
ability to interact with the VE in ways that are not possible in the
real world. The BlindAid system was developed and evaluated as
part of an experimental study related to how people who are blind
build cognitive maps of their physical environment and how
recent advances in VE technology might support orientation and
mobility (O&M) training. The current system is able to provide a
visual display and record the user’s actions in the VE for later
review by researchers and O&M instructors. The paper focuses on
the technical development of the system with some results from
an initial evaluation by four blind volunteers.