Abstract
We have been studying a tactile vocoder which can convert speech information into tactile stimulation patterns as an aid to lipreading for deaf people. At present, we are trying to manufacture a portable tactile vocoder in cooperation with a manufacturer of electronic products. Specifically, we have made a small tactile display which presents vibratory stimulations to a finger.
In this paper, we have investigated the mechanical characteristics of the tactile display and evaluated its usefulness through a consonant identification test. From the results, the average identification rate was found to be about 55% conclude that this new tactile display was relatively practical.
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