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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Development of an Audio-based Virtual Gaming Environment to Assist with Navigation Skills in the Blind
Published on: March 27, 2013
A multimodal interface device for online board games designed for sight-impaired people
Nicholas Caporusso1, Lusine Mkrtchyan, Leonardo Badia
1Lucca Institute for Advanced Studies, Lucca 55100, Italy. n.caporusso@imtlucca.it
Abstract:
Online games between remote opponents playing over computer networks are becoming a common activity of everyday life. However, computer interfaces for board games are usually based on the visual channel. For example, they require players to check their moves on a video display and interact by using pointing devices such as a mouse. Hence, they are not suitable for visually impaired people. The present paper discusses a multipurpose system that allows especially blind and deafblind people playing chess or other board games over a network, therefore reducing their disability barrier. We describe and benchmark a prototype of a special interactive haptic device for online gaming providing a dual tactile feedback. The novel interface of this proposed device is able to guarantee not only a better game experience for everyone but also an improved quality of life for sight-impaired people.
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