Touchnav Mkpara Nduzi by Jifeng Shen, Tianhao Liu and Guanghui Huang

Touchnav Mkpara Nduzi by Jifeng Shen, Tianhao Liu and Guanghui Huang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Bronz in Injinịa Ngwaahịa na Nhazi Teknịkal Competition Category.

BronzInjinịa· 2024

Touchnav Mkpara Nduzi

by Jifeng Shen, Tianhao Liu and Guanghui Huang

Client: Touchnav

Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Bronz Winner in Injinịa Category

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The Design

About Touchnav Mkpara Nduzi

Maka ndị enweghị anya ọhụụ, ịgagharị nwere ike ịbụ ihe isi ike, ọkachasị mgbe ha chere ihu n'ozi okporo ụzọ dị mgbagwoju anya, nke na-ebute nchegbu n'ihi enweghị nchekwa. Touchnav na-atụgharị maapụ nduzi ka ọ bụrụ nzaghachi mmetụta aka a na-emetụ aka, na-akwalite nghọta nke ebe na anya maka ndị enweghị anya ọhụụ. Ịma jijiji na-egosi ebe ndị a na-eleta ugboro ugboro na-enye nduzi ahaziri onwe onye, na-eme ka njikọ nke ndị ọrụ na gburugburu ha sie ike, si otú ahụ na-emewanye nnwere onwe ha na nchekwa n'oge njem.

The Recognition

About the Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Bronz

Touchnav Mkpara Nduzi meriri A' Design Award nke Bronz, nnabata dị oke ugwu e nyere design ndị pụtara ìhè nke a ma ama maka nzụlite ihe, ọgụgụ isi na nghọta. Ndị meriri na Bronz bụ ihe e mere nke ndị nwere nka nke ukwuu ma dị mma n'imepụta nke na-egosi ahụmahụ buru ibu, echiche na ọgụgụ isi nke ndị designer ha. A na-atụ anya na Touchnav Mkpara Nduzi ga-abụ ihe a na-asọpụrụ nke ukwuu, a na-eto na a hụrụ n'anya, nke dị oke ọrụ ma dị ọhụrụ. Design a meriri A' Design Award nke Bronz na-agụnye ụzọ kacha mma n'ime nka, sayensị, design na teknụzụ, ma dị mma nke ukwuu maka nlebara anya ya n'obere ihe. Touchnav Mkpara Nduzi na-emezu mkpa nke ọma, na-emetụ ọchịchọ aka, na-adọrọ mmetụta obi ma na-adọta ọchịchọ ịmara.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Traditional visual impairment aids focus on obstacle detection but lack in providing spatial and distance awareness. Touchnav converts invisible navigation paths into physical tactile feedback, enabling users to intuitively sense remaining distances, thus addressing this gap. Additionally, its vibration feature for identifying familiar locations boosts navigational confidence, significantly reducing anxiety in unfamiliar areas.
Dimensions & Packaging: Contracted Length 170mm Width 30mm Height 33mm Extended Length 1200mm
Tags: White cane, navigation, mobility assistive technology, progress bar, tactile feedback
Production Technology: The grip of the Touchnav is fabricated from ABS plastic material through the injection moulding process, with its surface treated with metal sandblasting to enhance its texture. It employs a snap-fit connection structure, making it easy to assemble and disassemble. To improve its waterproofness, a gasket is installed inside the grip, thus extending the product's lifespan. The main shaft of the walking stick is made from lightweight aluminium alloy, not only ensuring the product's waterproof and heat-resistant properties but also catering to the need for portability during travel. The smooth design of the shaft assures the extendibility of the walking stick. As for the tip of the cane, it is encased in wear-resistant PE hard plastic and 316 stainless steel, enhancing its durability while also ensuring excellent waterproof and anti-corrosion capabilities.
Design Challenge: The biggest challenge in this design activity is to transform abstract navigation information into tangible tactile feedback that can be intuitively perceived by visually impaired individuals. During the project development and implementation process, it is crucial to ensure that the technological solutions are innovative yet practical and meet the specific needs of visually impaired users. Internal challenges include understanding the perception methods of visually impaired users, designing intuitive tactile feedback mechanisms, and ensuring the comfort and ease of use of the device. External factors involve compliance with relevant laws and standards, the feasibility of the technology, production costs, and market acceptance. Overcoming these challenges requires interdisciplinary collaboration, involving experts from engineering, design, anthropology, psychology, and other fields, working together to ensure that the design meets the needs of visually impaired individuals and is viable and sustainable for practical application.
Research: There are approximately 43 million visually impaired individuals worldwide, and the lack of independent and safe mobility is identified as the greatest barrier to their travel. Navigating can be particularly challenging for visually impaired persons, especially when confronted with complex traffic information, leading to anxiety due to a lack of safety. To underscore the significance of assistive mobility technologies in this context, we conducted qualitative research on the travel issues faced by visually impaired individuals. Our study involved user interviews for in-depth needs analysis, employing the Kano model to evaluate the use of mobility tools. We ultimately determined that converting navigation maps into tangible tactile feedback aids visually impaired individuals in enhancing their spatial and distance perception, thereby boosting their independence and sense of security while travelling. Our solution, Touchnav, is a navigational white cane that allows users to intuitively perceive distance and direction, reducing their anxiety in unfamiliar environments. Feedback from participants suggests that tactile feedback is regarded as a unique spatial perception ability, enhancing their safety and independence during mobility.
Inspiration: Inspired by the intrinsic human need for security and familiarity, we recognise that this need is particularly evident in the travel of the visually impaired. Traditional aids are often more focused on obstacle detection and fall short in providing spatial and distance perception. Can we use haptic feedback, a technology that converts complex data such as distance and direction into simple tactile signals, to provide a new navigation experience for visually impaired users?
Project Duration: The project started in Hangzhou, China, in April 2023 and was completed in Macau, China, in January 2024.
Operation Flow: The primary function of this product is to materialize the entire navigation process into tangible form, which is achieved through four key steps: 1. Users can interact with Touchnav by pressing a voice command button to input their desired destination. 2. Upon receiving the voice input, Touchnav retrieves detailed information about the specified destination, including the location's coordinates, the user's estimated distance, and the anticipated travel time, providing a comprehensive overview for the user. 3. As the user moves, a progress bar slider on the cane advances in accordance with the planned navigation route, offering a tactile representation of the user's journey and the remaining distance to the destination. 4. In addition to tactile feedback, Touchnav also includes an audio module that verbally announces important location information along the route. This dual-mode feedback ensures that users receive clear and understandable navigation cues, enhancing their spatial awareness and orientation abilities.
Team Members: Designer: Jifeng Shen
Designer: Tianhao Liu
Designer: zinan Li
Designer: Yaowei Zheng
Designer: Pengyu Chen