A Pilot Study of a Wearable Navigation Device with Tactile Display for Elderly with Cognitive Impairment

It is typical for the older adults with or without cognitive impairment to manifest sensory declines. This indirectly affects their sense of direction and wayfinding ability as oriented search is linked with sensory, mainly the visual. The deterioration of spatial navigation skill due to aging and cognitive decline is well recognized. We present the conceptual design of a wearable navigation device with tactile display and its prototype development, aimed to assist the navigation of individuals with cognitive impairment. The results of a pilot test conducted on individuals with dementia using the working prototype are also presented and discussed. The experiment intended to verify the positive outcomes of using the haptic modality for navigation and its wearability. Results suggest that the haptic stimulus is a helpful signal for wayfinding. From the user assessment however, some limitations are traceable due to the wearable design of the device. This is needed to be improved and emphasized in our future works.