Wearable Works
Design of a Wearable White Cane for Blind Toddlers: How Rapid Prototyping and Iterative Design Gave Blind Toddlers Confidence
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Grace Ambrose Zaken, Erica Kreisberg, Marom Bikson, Jacob Resnick, Benjamin Bokser, Natalie Deana D Badillo, Seyed Shahabuddin, Mohamad Fallah Rad
Toddlers learn from moving and exploration, but the lessons learned by blind toddlers moving freely are coupled with many painful accidents that eventually teach them to stop exploring on their own. “Path information,” knowing what lies a step ahead, is essential for confident exploration and play. While long white canes provide effective path information to blind school aged-children and adults, visually impaired children aged five and younger cannot manage the sustained and nuanced skills needed to employ a white cane to obtain and use tactile path information. This paper describes the design process used to create the first wearable white cane: the “toddler cane.” Using 3D printing which allowed rapid prototyping, the iterative design process resulted in a customized, user-friendly device that has helped hundreds of blind toddlers gain confidence in their ability to navigate their environment independently. The toddler cane includes a semi-rigid belt with detachable magnet connectors for two extendable white rods, which terminate in ground bumpers designed for use on a variety of indoor and outdoor terrain. Toddler canes are providing blind toddlers with the confidence they need to explore freely and independently. The changes observed in blind toddlers and preschool learners wearing their hands-free canes included rapid and transformative results, not only in mobility but in mood, language, and other cognitive skills. The toddler cane therefore supports blind children through their development and minimized delays that have life-long implications.
Creation of Three Dimensional Digital Avatars for People with Disabilities to be Used in Three Dimensional Digital Apparel Simulation View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kate Annett-Hitchcock, Anne Porterfield, Timothy Buie, Katherine Absher, Sarah Schaedler
This interdisciplinary study combines expertise in apparel and in three dimensional (3D) digital design to discover the best method of creating 3D avatars for use in apparel simulation for persons with disabilities. 3D apparel simulation enables a product developer to virtually sew, view, and fit garments in a 3D digital environment. This capability is becoming industry practice for prototyping, marketing, and merchandising of products. Little is known of the potential benefit for persons with disabilities. This study defines best practices for the creation of custom avatars from body scans of people with disabilities for use in apparel simulation. Five subjects with acute body asymmetry and amputation were recruited from the local population. The research team employs avatar development methods using body scanning technologies and digital software packages to determine the best process for creating a custom avatar. 3D digital apparel software is used to test these avatars in garment simulation. Results are validated through fitting of actual garments on selected research subjects to determine accuracy of the software. With the right avatars, apparel pattern-making software can be used for specific bodies rather than relying on traditional methods, as well as for visualization and marketing. There are few opportunities to show clothing on people with disabilities in the marketplace and/or in a teaching environment. This research forms the basis for these and other important tools, such as developing design sketch templates for students to use in the development of garments for people with disabilities.
