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Tactile Stimulation Methods for the Deaf and/or Blind

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Sound-Based Assistive Technology

Abstract

In this chapter, the author introduces tactile stimulation methods for sensory substitutes of the auditory and/or the visual sense. Recent reports concerning brain research show that lost sensory functions might be compensated for by the other sensory cortex due to the plasticity of the neural network in the human brain. Based on the latest findings regarding brain plasticity, the author talks about the effectiveness of tactile stimulation methods that support speech recognition of the deaf, vocal training of the deaf-blind, and auditory localization substitutes . The author also describes how the findings and technologies obtained from tactile stimulation studies will lead to new concepts in the design of tactile displays used for virtual reality systems and robots.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Gerontology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Tohru Ifukube

  2. Hokkaido University of Science, Sapporo, Japan

    Tohru Ifukube

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  1. Tohru Ifukube
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Correspondence to Tohru Ifukube .

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Ifukube, T. (2017). Tactile Stimulation Methods for the Deaf and/or Blind. In: Sound-Based Assistive Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47997-2_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47997-2_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47996-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47997-2

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