Touchnav 네비게이션 지팡이 by Jifeng Shen, Tianhao Liu and Guanghui Huang

Touchnav 네비게이션 지팡이 by Jifeng Shen, Tianhao Liu and Guanghui Huang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award 동상 in 제품 엔지니어링 및 기술 디자인 Competition Category.

동엔지니어링· 2024

Touchnav 네비게이션 지팡이

by Jifeng Shen, Tianhao Liu and Guanghui Huang

Client: Touchnav

A' Design Award 동상 Winner in 엔지니어링 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #159017

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Touchnav 네비게이션 지팡이

시각 장애인에게 길찾기는 어려운 과제이며, 특히 복잡한 교통 정보를 마주할 때 안전성 부족으로 인한 불안감을 경험하게 됩니다. 터치내브는 내비게이션 지도를 구체적인 촉각 피드백으로 변환하여 시각 장애인의 공간 및 거리 인지 능력을 향상시킵니다. 자주 방문하는 장소를 진동으로 표시하여 개인화된 안내를 제공하며, 사용자와 주변 환경 간의 연결을 강화함으로써 이동 중 독립성과 안전성을 높입니다.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 동상

Touchnav 네비게이션 지팡이, 이 작품은 A' Design Award 동상 수상작으로, 창의성, 독창성, 영민함으로 돋보이는 뛰어난 디자인에 수여되는 높은 권위의 인정입니다. 동상 수상작은 충분히 숙련되고 인상적으로 창의적인 작품으로, 디자이너의 폭넓은 경험, 상상력, 기지를 입증합니다. Touchnav 네비게이션 지팡이, 이 작품은 높이 평가받고 감탄과 사랑을 받는 사물로서 두드러지게 전문적이고 혁신적일 것으로 기대됩니다. 이 동상 수상 디자인은 예술, 과학, 디자인, 기술의 모범 사례를 담고 있으며 세부에 대한 주의로 훌륭합니다. Touchnav 네비게이션 지팡이, 이 작품은 필요를 훌륭하게 충족하고 욕망에 닿으며 감정을 매료하고 호기심을 불러일으킵니다.

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