ActiveBelt: Belt-Type Wearable Tactile Display for Directional Navigation

In this paper we propose a novel wearable interface called “ActiveBelt” that enables users to obtain multiple directional information with the tactile sense. Since the information provided by the tactile sense is relatively unobtrusive, it is suited for daily use in mobile environments. However, many existing systems don’t transmit complex information via the tactile sense. Most of them send only simple signals, such as vibration in cellular phones. ActiveBelt is a novel belt-type wearable tactile display that can transmit directional information. We have developed prototype systems and applications, evaluated system performance and usability, and demonstrated the possibility of practical use.