DEVELOPMENT OF ACOUSTIC REFLECTOR FOR THE VISUALLY HANDICAPPED FOR OBSTACLE SENSE AND DIRECTION COGNITION(Environmental Engineering)

Abstract

Visually handicapped persons can recognize a wall or obstacles in traveling by hearing sense (called obstacle sense). However, they cannot detect small or thin obstacles, these often cause crash accident. In the present work, the development of an acoustic reflector for tapping sound by a white cane, which is attached to above obstacles, is studied. Through the cognition test by the hearing on the acoustic reflector consisting of membranes and a space, it became clear that this reflector developed has sufficient possibility for a practical application.