iFeelPixel™
is a multimodal application designed to create audio-tactile sensations based
on pictures elements. It adds excitement entertainment and presence
to pictures on computers. Use this while using your desktop
computer,
playing games,
watching websites
or simply leave it running in the background while using any Windows
program. Any pictures elements generated by your computer and
being under
your cursor position on screen,
will be represented with a subjective audio-tactile
sensation on an Immersion TouchSense
device and a sound card.
It's the first software that allows a user to feel the pixels
on the screen with haptic feedback and auditory
feedback. There are infinite possibilities...let's explore the senses
of touch and hearing! It works in parallel with existing access
technology.
iFeelPixel supports Immersion® TouchSense enabled devices. One such device is the Logitech® iFeel mouse that offers Tactile feedback to its user. Feeling different textures and effects as you navigate through pictures and web pages is fully supported.
What is a Multimodal application?
It is an application that allows the simultaneous use of multiple input and output devices.
"Research has shown that advantage can be gained when the haptic modality is used in conjunction with the visual and auditory channels. The iFeelPixel multi-modal application enables the user to mediate structures such as edges, lines and textures, via a tactile/force feedback mouse depending on features of the pixels detected by the device. Both tactile and auditory feedback are experienced, as a result. Multi-modal solutions have the capacity to extend visual displays and thus making objects more realistic, useful and engaging."
"Multi-modal interfaces also provide assistance in the mental mapping process, allowing the user to develop a greater awareness of objects contained within the environment. A clearer spatial representation created by multi-modal feedback, enhances the user’s ability to orientate and navigate within their environment. It is apparent that a multi-modal assistive interface can provide one solution to reducing barriers that are faced by the blind and partially sighted community"
-
Edge Detection identifies the edges of shapes in images
by searching for gradient or slope variations.
- Vibration expressing sine, square or sawtooth waveshapes.
Indicates pixel intensity and velocity.
- Touch the pixels you want to know the colors of, it will transform the color into a sound.
- Everybody is influenced by associations between sounds and colors.
For example,
people tend to associate light colors with high-pitched sounds.
-
Distinguish patterns and hues of color
-Feel different sensations based on colors
-Customize your own color with Immersion
Studio
A
Method for the Development of Virtual Textures:
-Create a texture
effect on the fly
ex: virtual haptic textile
-You can modify the texture
settings
-Option detection: human body filter
- Make your own texture, save
it, feel it and share
it
- You can see the magnitude value generated by iFeelPixel, in
2 textboxes:
Positive Magnitude & Negative Magnitude
- Added list of 24 presets,
same as Immersion
Studio
( Note: H = Horizontal, V =Vertical)
- Communicates the feel of a path or surface.
7
Play/Stop
button
Enable/disable
iFeelPixel™ timer interval
8
Magnifier
Launch
the magnifier ( Zoom ratio: 1-10 x).
9
Demo
Mode
-
Automatically moves mouse randomly to feel audio-tactile Effects
- Useful for demo purposes.
Enable
Metronome
- It is a counting device that maintains a constant tone or
beat.
- Indicates the cursor speed via sound or tactile effects, if visual feedback is activated. (Since Beta version 0.8.2)
* Tactile
Orientation Navigation and Ranging
Edge, Line, Corner & Color detection are based on Periodic
effect.
Only one feature should be used at a time, but there is still some interesting combinations to try, for example:
1 | 13 = Edge Detection and TONAR
4 | 14 = Color Detection and Metronome System
* Required but packaged with iFeelPixel
setup, no further software installation is necessary.
What's
the price of iFeelPixel™?
iFeelPixel™
is a "DonationWare": this means that is free for members of iFeelPixel organisation, but non-members can make a contribution to help support further development and web-server costs.
It is distributed in the hope that it will be useful for people
(regardless of disabilities), but without any warranty. You choose the amount of money you wish to give (1 euro, 5 euro or 10 euro, etc...)
Why
is it a "DonationWare"?
We
want everyone to enjoy our product and built a powerful tactile
community.
Please use our software, and please talk
about iFeelPixel™ software to everyone you know, so that
they can try it as well.
How
to become an iFeelPixel™ Member?
The
active members are those which pay a sum of 10€ Euro renewable
each year.
By their regular funds, they stabilize the audio-tactile community.
They can cancel
their subscription at any time, but the 'Refund Payment' option
is only available for 60 days after the payment was sent.
For
their money, they receive:
- A copy of the software + 1 "License
to touch"
- Full technical support via e-mail and instant messages.
- Free major upgrades.
- iFeelPixel™ Member logo for their personal website
- Free patches, when applicable.
- Free access to the iFeelPixel™ Forum
- iFeelPixel™ Newsletter
- others gifts...
The
benefactor members are those which pay an amount of their choice.
Only one restriction: The amount must be equal or superior to 20
euros.
By their important fund, they act like investors.
For
their money, they receive:
- same benefits as members
+
- Assistance by webcam and netmeeting
- Private conference
- Interviews
- others special request....
For example: possibility to add a link to their website into our
software...
The
members of honor are those which rendered important services announced
to the audio-tactile community iFeelPixel™.
They don't need to pay something
- same benefits as benefactor Member
- eternal recognition, iFeelPixel™ Icon
- their name on this website
No! Because offline help is difficult to maintain and update
regularly,
but you can view the online
help here and the Readme File
here.
We apologize for any inconveniences.
Can
I get the source code of iFeelPixel™?
No,
we are sorry but iFeelPixel™ is not an open source code.
iFeelPixel source code is protected by IDDN
(Inter Deposit Digital Number)
from APP
(Agency for the Protection of Programs)
If
you are really interested, to add sensations to the Pixels on the
screen,
you are welcome to contact us. We may build
a great tool together, in joining our forces.
Please
take a look at the free software downloads
section
to get the usual iFeelPixel setup.
What's
the Haptic Technology?
Based
on the Greek word, "haptesthai," meaning touch, haptic
technology enables people to feel touch sensations while interacting
with a digital display, like a computer screen and a hardware device
such as a joystick or mouse. Immersion's
haptic technology, brand-named TouchSense™, enhances the
user experience with sight, sound and touch simultaneously.
The
word haptics refers to the science of applying the sense of touch
in human-
computer interaction. Haptics is often used as a catchall term to
cover a variety of
distinct sub-types, including proprioceptive
(general sensory information about the
body), vestibular (the
perception of head motion), kinaesthetic
(the feeling of motion
in the body), cutaneous
(sensory information from the skin), and tactile
(the sense of
pressure experienced through the skin).
There are four types of sensory neurons (mechanoreceptors) involved in the haptic modality. The haptic, or tactile, sensory modality is the only active sense that can be used to explore our environment; vision and hearing are passive senses since they cannot act upon the environment.
In the context of computers, haptic feedback can refer to the simple feel of a keyboard or mouse, or to more sophisticated forms of tactile feedback employed by some virtual-reality systems. iFeelPixel is an emerging technology that promises to have wide reaching implications.
Sonification
is the use of non-speech audio to convey information.
You
are welcome to discuss about the Sonification Technology in the
iFeelPixel™ forum
Is
it an Electronic Alphabet Braille tactile display?
Not
really, but iFeelPixel™ is a new alternative way for blind
users to feel the text on screen.
Especially for them who didn't learn braille. A morse engine (that
translates clipboards, windows caption, Text to morse) and a keyboard piano (that translates any keystrokes into a synthetized sound) are packaged with
iFeelPixel™.
Is
it possible to use iFeelPixel™ with any Software?
Of
course ! You can use iFeelPixel™ with any software. If you
are planning to test iFeelPixel with some special software, you
are welcome to send some report to us (bad
or good).
Two
important points to keep in mind:
- iFeelPixel™ automatically creates audio-tactile sensations
based on image.
- iFeelPixel™ works with all Windows program that has image.
Is it a vision substitution software for the blind?
Not
exactly...iFeelPixel™ is a vision complementary software.
It can't replace vision, but it can complement vision with additional
informations.
Tactile and sound help augment poor vision.
If
you are seeking a vision substitution software for the blind and
even artificial sight.
Please check out the
vOICe website.
About
Synesthesia:
This is a rather peculiar condition in which the senses get cross-wired.
For example, a person with synesthesia may "see" sounds,
"hear" colors,
or "feel" tastes; the stimulation of one sense stimulates
another.
Is
iFeelPixel™ Available in other languages than english?
- The
iFeelPixel™ website can be translated into eight different
languages,
making this a very rare, internationally appealing site:
Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese,
Korean
Please
select a Flag, and the website
will be translated on-the-fly.
This service is provided by altavista.
- The
iFeelPixel™ Software is only available in english.
We are working on an international version.
Yes,
you can feel movies (DVD, divx, trailers, *.avi, *.mpg, etc...) from
Windows Media Player and other players that do not use overlay
technology.
Also, you can feel live television images and video games.
Where
is my software code? (Only for version below 0.8.3)
If
iFeelPixel™ is installed on your machine and you are not a
registered user:
1. Open the iFeelPixel™ Software
2.
In Menu bar, goto Help > About iFeelPixel Software
3. Copy your software code (Machine ID) to your clipboard. See below:
Select "iFeelPixel Software Code" >> right click >> copy (Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + C)
Alternative
solution: click on the "PayPal Donate"
button, your browser is automatically launched. The Software Code
appears in the address bar and web page. See below:
Select "Software Code" >> right click >> copy (Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + C)
Finally,
if you need the software code in a form field or email body, paste
it. See example:
(Empty field) >> paste the software code >>
(Full field)
Note: a software code is unique (only 1 software code per
machine).
The software code doesn't contain any personal or private information.
What
is a "License to touch"? (Updated for version 0.8.3)
A "License
to touch" is a license key to activate your copy of iFeelPixel
on your machine.
We are protecting the iFeelPixel software against sharing of license
keys, the use of pirate copies and against selfish people that abuse our service if they don't make a donation.
Here
your benefits by activating iFeelPixel:
- No more time limit (your license code will never expire)
- No more activation restriction
- Free update
- Priority help and support, private forum access
- Preferential treatment for feature requests
- Free software sample, bundles, bonus, coupons and special offers
After you receive your personal license key via email or via our website,
please copy it and paste it into iFeelPixel software:
1. Start the iFeelPixel™ Software, you see the software defender activation window:
"This product needs to be activated. This file is digitally locked and requires activation before it can be accessed."
2. Paste the iFeelPixel License Key from your clipboard to textbox (Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + V)
3. Click on "Activate" Button.
If the license key you entered is valid. iFeelPixel software is activated and started. Enjoy!
If the license key you entered is NOT valid, the following messages box can appear on screen:
- "Your key is disabled. Please contact ifeelpixel at hotmail.com"
Click on "Contact Software vendor" to send us an email or click "OK" button to try again.
You can get a license extension if you make a donation.
- "This key is not valid. Unable to unlock with this key. Please ensure you typed key correctly."
Forgot your license key? Please go to our unlock key reminder or click "OK" button to try again.
Promo
codes allow us to monitor how you found out about us.
This allows us to advertise in the most effective ways and thank
people for promoting us.
What
is a Pixel?
The
Pixel (a word invented from "picture element": "pix"
for picture, "el" for element) is the dot element (usually
a single-colored dot) that, together with others, constitutes an
image on a video screen or in print. It is the basic unit of the
composition of an image on a television screen, computer monitor,
or similar display.
Why
did not I receive Email about iFeelPixel
software?
We
send you a message, when you submit your email address to download iFeelPixel software or when we release a new iFeelPixel version (If you choose to keep in touch).
If you do not get this email from us, that means maybe you provided
an incorrect email address or our message has been filtered by error
(misconfigured email filters) or you choose to not receive
emails from us.
Solution: Go through the "Trash box"
or "Spam box" first and glance through it to make sure,
your email filter has not captured our email by error, before resubmitting
the form.
If you find our message, please Click the "This is not Junk/Spam"
icon at the top of the message.
Alternative solution: Please try to submit the
form again with a different email domain, (preferably your corporate
email, and not a Hotmail, AOL, or Yahoo account) and add our email
address to your "email address book".
Make sure you don't miss out on any iFeelPixel Newsletters;
please add ifeelpixel.com domain to your address book. Thanks!
If the form doed not work with your browser, please send
an email. Thanks.
American
Sign Language (ASL) is a visual-gestural language created by Deaf
people with its own unique grammatical rules and sentence structure,
and is used as the primary means of communication by approximately
500,000 Deaf Americans and Canadians.
Sign
language is a language that you speak with your hands, for people
that can't talk or hear. When you can't hear or have severe hearing
problems, you are called deaf. It is called mute when you
can't talk.
Like
spoken languages, ASL includes slang, expressions and puns. ASL
has evolved from a combination of Old French Sign Language, and
a "dialect" used by communities in Martha's Vineyard from
the 17th to the beginning of the 20th century. Martha's Vineyard
had an unusually high incidence of hereditary deafness for many
generations. Like any other living language, ASL continues to evolve.
The
iFeelPixel software starts and stops touch effects from an Immersion
Force Resource (IFR) file on a touch-enabled device.
An IFR file is the output of an effect design session in Immersion
Studio®.
Does iFeelPixel software is compatible with Windows Vista Operating System?
Yes, iFeelPixel is Windows Vista compatible, including support of visual styles, service pack one (SP1) and User Account Control (UAC). Administrator and Non-Administrator account can run directly the Setup Package. Per-user settings are in a separate file located under "Application Data" and are requested of the OS in the same manner.
By default, everytime iFeelPixel is started, the visual graphic interface Aero is disabled automatically for compatibility issues and speed latency, but you can enable it if you prefer:
View > Main display > Uncheck "Disable Aero for compatibility issues"
Next time iFeelPixel is restarted, the graphic interface Aero of Windows Vista will not be disabled.
You
may find common answers and questions about iFeelPixel™ in
the Support Page
If
you have any other questions or criticisms, good science fair project
ideas,
feel free to contact us!
Or please post them in the iFeelPixel™
forum.
Thanks for reading this page.
Here you can find common questions asked about iFeelPixel™
Note: H = Horizontal, V =Vertical)
