This technology is a directional surveying tool based on the thumbstick of a videogame controller that enables visually impaired users to “look around” within virtual worlds.
Low vision and blindness are leading causes of disability among US residents. Currently, most mainstream video games are lacking appropriate accessibility tools for the visually impaired, and games created for a visually impaired audience are often highly simplified versions of what sighted players play. Beyond just the gaming world, for individuals with visual impairment, navigating complex routes and finding objects of interest can be challenging tasks.
This technology can serve as a tool for video game developers to make games more accessible for the visually impaired. This technology could be licensed as a plugin that can be used by game designers to annotate their games. The plugin could be easily distributed through existing game development platforms. The current prototype focuses on virtual worlds, but this technology could also be generalized to the real world; visually impaired users could use a technology like this to “look around” themselves and discover points-of-interest within their line-of-sight.
This technology is currently implemented within the Unity game engine.
IR CU21319
Licensing Contact: Greg Maskel