Omni-Sense is an decentralized sensor network attached to the human body that maps the direction, and absolute distance of objects in the environment relative to the person, to the body's tactile senses through the use of controled vibrations. In an walled environment like a room, it serves to detect the walls, furniture, and people. Once outside, the Omni-sense extends its basic functionality with GPS navigation.
The project's goal is to augment the extent of human senses by using the tactile senses as a medium for 360 degree proximity sensing, accurate up to 2 meters. In the short term, it is a novel solution as a prostetic for the blind. In the mid-term, with appropriate reliability testing, it can become an environmental awareness augmentation for industrial, and military purposes. In the long term, it hopes to serve as a step towards utilizing tactile senses in the interaction with technology; which could theoreticaly become a predacesor of cybernetic augmentation.
Omni-sense is comprised of a number of electronic patches, coordinated by a mobile device. The patches are placed on the parts of the body that are:
- Appropriately dense in mechanoreceptors(cells responsible for the sense of touch). This is because not every part of skin is equaly sensitive.
- Convex, and unobstructed. This is to allow the highest sensory range possible.
- Comfortable. The patches are intended to be like a second layer of skin. Not disrupted by clothes. Not uncomfortabe to wear for a long period.
The patches are made of medical grade Electro Cardio Gram(ECG) electrodes, an vibrator motor, a microcontroler, and either a lidar proximity sensor, or a ultrasonic proximity sensor. The microcontroler handles the proximity detection and the generation of vibrations, and communicates with a nerby mobile device to enable the GPS navigation. The mobile device serves as an orchestrator of the patches that are spread across the body. It translates the device's orientation, and direction of a GPS target destination into directional vibrations across the patches.
Nino Candrlic, and Filip Bumbu; as a part of CSC1097 module.