Conveying Shopper Intent in Robot-Assisted Shopping for the Blind

Robot-assisted shopping for the blind: issues in spatial cognition and product selection

Research on spatial cognition and blind navigation suggests that a device aimed at helping blind people to shop independently should provide the shopper with effective interfaces to the locomotor and haptic spaces of the supermarket. In this article, we argue that robots can act as effective interfaces to haptic and locomotor spaces in modern supermarkets. We also present the design and evaluat...

User Intent Communication in Robot-Assisted Shopping for the Blind

An empirical investigation into e-shopping excitement: antecedents and effects

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the antecedents of online shopper excitement, its consequences for behavioural intentions as expressed by intent to return, and positive word-of-mouth communication. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual model is developed based on the literature. Instrument item scales to measure all constructs in the model were as informed by the literature and adapt...

Robots as Haptic and Locomotor Interfaces for the Blind

To ensure independence, an assistive shopping device must provide the blind shopper with interfaces to the supermarket’s haptic and locomotor spaces. In the absence of vision, the egocentric and allocentric frames are known to align best in the haptic space. Robots can function as interfaces to the haptic and locomotor spaces to the extent that they can eliminate the need of frame alignment in ...

ShopTalk: Independent Blind Shopping = Verbal Route Directions + Barcode Scans

Independent blind supermarket shopping is difficult at best. This paper presents ShopTalk, a wearable small-scale system that enables a visually impaired shopper to successfully retrieve specific products. ShopTalk uses exclusively commercial-off-theshelf components and requires no instrumentation of the store. The system relies on the navigation abilities of independent blind navigators and on...