Microcontrolled system to transform visual images into vibrational images

Details are presented of a system configuration to convert a prestored 256-element image into a vibrational image. The purpose of the system is to interface with the human tactile sensory system to transfer visual information. A vibratory array is driven by pulses with amplitudes proportional to the amount of light in the corresponding spatial position of the image, using fours gray levels. The array is scanned ten times in 4 ms, giving the sensation of continuous stimulation. A recovery time of 1 s is allowed every ten pulses (one burst) to minimize adaptation. Parameters such as number of pulses per burst, duty cycle, pulse shape and modality of scanning are programmable. The flexibility of the system makes it possible to study the best combination of parameters to transfer maximum information using relatively low power