Automatic visual to tactile translation. II. Evaluation of the TACTile image creation system

This is the second part of a two-part paper that develops a method for the automatic conversion of images from visual to tactile form. In Part I (see ibid. vol.5, no.1, p.81-94 (1997)), a variety of topics mere reviewed including issues in human factors, access technology for tactile graphics production, and image processing. In this part, the material presented in the first part is used to motivate, develop, and support the methods used in the development of a prototype visual-to-tactile translator called the TACTile Image Creation System (TACTICS). The specific choices made in the design of the system are discussed and justified, including selection of software platform, tactile output format, tactile image creation procedure, aggregate image processing sequences used, and principles from the discipline of psychophysics. The results of four experiments on tactile image discrimination, identification, and comprehension are reported and discussed, and future directions in this area are proposed.