Navigational feedback device for the visually impaired

A system of providing haptic feedback to a user, comprising:

• a plurality of sensors worn by a user each configured to provide a signal corresponding to the user's environment;
• a controller as part of a single board computer or a smartphone configured to execute software maintained on a non-transitory memory and further configured to receive the provided signals and in response to generate a two-dimensional map of the user's three-dimensional space including spacing in an X-direction (a direction parallel to left-to-right of the user), spacing in Y-direction (a direction parallel to forward of the user that is perpendicular to the X-direction), and spacing in the Z-direction (a direction parallel to up-and-down of the user that is perpendicular to the X-direction and the Y-direction);
• an instrumented glove, comprising:
• a set of haptic devices forming a matrix of a plurality of m columns and a plurality of n rows disposed on the instrumented glove, wherein each finger of the instrumented glove is outfitted with a plurality of haptic devices, thus allowing for m×n haptic devices,
• wherein the controller is configured to mirror the two-dimensional map to the m×n matrix representing the plurality of haptic feedback devices and to selectively activate each of the plurality of haptic devices to signal the user's position in the three-dimensional space based on the generated two-dimensional map as the user moves in the three-dimensional space,
• wherein the activation of the plurality of haptic devices is based on variation in intensity of the plurality of haptic feedback devices based on proximity to detected objects by the plurality of sensors of differing heights and distances in the X-direction, the Y-direction, and the Z-direction,
• wherein shorter detected objects in the Z-direction result in higher intensity of the plurality of haptic devices and closer detected objects result in higher intensity of the plurality of haptic devices.

A method of providing haptic feedback to a user, comprising:

• receiving inputs from a plurality of input devices worn by a user corresponding to the user's environment;
• generating a two-dimensional map of the user's three-dimensional space including spacing in an X-direction (a direction parallel to left-to-right of the user), spacing in Y-direction (a direction parallel to forward of the user that is perpendicular to the X-direction), and spacing in the Z-direction (a direction parallel to up-and-down of the user that is perpendicular to the X-direction and the Y-direction) based on the received inputs;
• selectively activating each of a set of haptic devices forming a matrix of a plurality of m columns and a plurality of n rows disposed on an instrumented glove, wherein each finger of the instrumented glove is outfitted with a plurality of haptic devices, thus allowing for m×n haptic devices to signal the user's position in the three-dimensional space based on the generated two-dimensional map as the user moves in the three-dimensional space by mirroring the two-dimensional map to the m×n matrix representing the plurality of haptic devices,
• wherein the selectively activating each of the plurality of haptic devices is based on variation in intensity of the plurality of haptic devices based on proximity to detected objects by the plurality of sensors of differing heights and distances in the X-direction, the Y-direction, and the Z-direction,
• wherein shorter detected objects in the Z-direction result in higher intensity of the plurality of haptic devices and closer detected objects result in higher intensity of the plurality of haptic devices.