Forehead Electro-tactile Display for Vision Substitution

The Forehead Retina System-composed of a small camera and 512 electrodes on the forehead-captures the view in front, extracts outlines from the view, and converts the outlines to tactile sensation by electrical stimulation. Forehead skin was chosen for stimulation in consideration of usability. An electrotactile display was used so that the system becomes small and durable. A gel layer was designed to prevent an unpleasant sensation during stimulation. The system primarily aims to enable the visually impaired to "see " the surrounding environment.