Training system

Abstract

This technology provides subjects with the ability to perceive physical space and the ability to control movement within that perceived space. [Solution] A training system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an output device, a measuring device, a feedback device, and a control device. The output device is configured to output sound and present an object whose position changes. The measuring device is configured to measure the actions taken by a subject to track the object and locate its position. The control device is configured to compare the position of the object output by the output device with the position of the subject as measured by the measuring device, and to provide feedback of the comparison result to the subject via the feedback device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a training system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the development of devices for people with visual impairments has been progressing. For example, in Patent Document 1, a system for performing navigation by giving guidance instructions through at least one of touch and hearing via a wearable device has been proposed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] According to the system proposed in Patent Document 1, navigation can be performed for people with visual impairments. However, in this system, only instructions by at least one of touch and hearing are given for the guiding direction, so it is difficult to train the ability of the subject to recognize the physical space. The difficulty of training the ability to recognize the physical space is the same even when the subject has normal vision.

[0005] In one aspect, the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for training a subject's ability to recognize a physical space and the ability to control movement within the recognized space.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention employs the following configurations. Note that the following configurations can be combined as appropriate.

[0007] A training system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an output device, a measuring device, a feedback device, and a control device. The output device is configured to output sound and present an object whose position changes. The measuring device is configured to measure the actions taken by a subject to track the object and locate its position. The control device is configured to compare the position of the object output by the output device with the position of the subject as measured by the measuring device, and to provide feedback of the comparison result to the subject via the feedback device.

[0008] It is known that by repeatedly training subjects with physical movements that do not rely on vision, such as walking in a designated direction, they can become capable of performing certain movements without guidance and without visual input. This is because the brain possesses "proprioception," a sense of the body's position and movement. As a result, the brain can represent (learn and remember) the exact same action not only through vision but also through proprioception.

[0009] Figure 11 conceptually illustrates an example of a visually dependent external (XY) coordinate system and a proprioceptively dependent body (joint angle) coordinate system in an arm reaching forward movement. As illustrated in Figure 11, real space can be represented in both a visually dependent external coordinate system and a proprioceptively dependent body coordinate system. The brain can represent the same movement using different senses (visual and proprioceptive). That is, body movements can be learned and remembered using a proprioceptively dependent coordinate system, without relying on a visually dependent coordinate system. According to this finding, training involving the physical movement of the body without relying on vision is possible. Through training, it is possible to train the ability to perceive the environment through proprioception, and as a result, it is presumed that the ability to recognize physical space and the ability to control movement within that recognized space can be improved.

[0010] In this configuration, an object that emits sound and changes position is presented by an output device, allowing subjects to perform a task of tracking the object with bodily movements while perceiving the environment through the emitted sound. In the tracking task, the position where the subject localizes the object's position is measured by a measuring device. The result of comparing the object's position with the subject's measured localization position (e.g., whether the tracking was successful) is then fed back to the subject via a feedback device. This feedback acts as a training signal, allowing the subject to learn the correct bodily movements to track the object in the environment perceived by sound. The bodily movements performed when the object is successfully tracked act as reinforcers, training the ability to perceive the environment through proprioception. In other words, through this task of correctly tracking an object, the subject can be subjected to the above-described training, which involves physical bodily movements without relying on vision, with the aim of training the ability to perceive the environment through proprioception. Therefore, this configuration allows subjects to be trained in their ability to perceive physical space and their ability to control movement within that perceived space. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for training subjects in their ability to perceive physical space and their ability to control movement within that perceived space. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 schematically shows an example of a scenario in which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] Figure 2 schematically shows an example of a method for presenting the subject. [Figure 3] Figure 3 schematically shows an example of a method for presenting the subject. [Figure 4] Figure 4 schematically shows an example of a feedback method. [Figure 5] Figure 5 schematically shows an example of a feedback method. [Figure 6]Figure 6 schematically shows an example of the hardware configuration of the control device. [Figure 7] Figure 7 schematically shows an example of the software configuration of the control device. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of a control device. [Figure 9] Figure 9 schematically shows the experimental setup. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows the experimental results for the motor task. [Figure 11] Figure 11 conceptually illustrates an example of a visually dependent external coordinate system and a proprioceptively dependent body coordinate system in an arm reaching forward movement. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments relating to one aspect of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely illustrative in all respects of this disclosure. Various improvements or modifications may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In implementing this disclosure, specific configurations may be adopted as appropriate depending on the embodiment. In this embodiment, the data appearing is described in natural language, but more specifically, it is specified in pseudo-language, commands, parameters, machine code, electrical signals, etc., that can be recognized by machines such as computers.

[0014] §1 Examples of Application Figure 1 schematically shows an example of a scenario in which the present invention is applied. The training system SY according to this embodiment comprises a control device 1, an output device 2, a measuring device 3, and a feedback device 4. The output device 2 is configured to output sound and present an object 20 whose position 25 is changed. The measuring device 3 is configured to measure the actions 31 taken by a subject Z tracking the object 20 to localize the position 25 of the object 20. The control device 1 is output by the output device 2. The position 25 of the target 20 is compared with the position 35 of the localization 30 by the subject Z measured by the measuring device 3, and the result 45 of the comparison is fed back to the subject Z via the feedback device 4. The subject Z may be a visually impaired person or a sighted person.

[0015] In this embodiment, by presenting the target 20 that outputs sound and changes the position 25 by the output device 2, the subject Z can be made to perform the task of tracking the target 20 with the body movement (movement 31) while perceiving the environment by the output sound. In the tracking task, the position 35 localized as the position 25 of the target 20 is measured by the measuring device 3. Then, the result 45 of the comparison between the position 25 of the target 20 and the position 35 of the measured localization 30 is fed back to the subject Z via the feedback device 4. By this feedback, the subject Z can recognize whether the body movement for tracking the target 20 was correctly performed in the environment perceived by the sound. The body movement when the target 20 can be correctly tracked becomes a reinforcer, and the ability to perceive the environment by proprioception can be trained. That is, through the task of correctly tracking the target 20, training involving physical movement of the body without relying on vision can be implemented for the subject Z to train the ability to perceive the environment by proprioception. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the subject Z can be trained to have the ability to recognize a physical space and the ability to control movement within the recognized space.

[0016] (Output device) If it is possible to output sound and present the target 20, the configuration of the output device 2 is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected according to the embodiment.

[0017] In one example, output device 2 may include one or more speakers. For example, output device 2 may output sound from one speaker and present the position of that speaker as the position 25 of object 20. Alternatively, for example, if multiple speakers are provided, output device 2 may output sound from two or more speakers and present the position of the sound image as the position 25 of object 20. The sound image is a virtual sound source reproduced by the output of sound from two or more speakers. The speakers may be placed as they are, or they may be placed with markers such as marker cones. The markers may be placed not only at the speaker positions, but also at positions where speakers are not placed but where sound images can be output. Placing markers makes it easier to detect the position 25 of object 20. Output device 2 may also include one or more surround speakers capable of reproducing sound in three dimensions. Surround speakers may include earphones. Earphones may include headphones. In this case, the output device 2 may output sounds related to the object 20 from surround speakers so that the subject Z perceives the sound as originating from the object 20's position 25 using three-dimensional sound. The type of sound related to the object 20 is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the embodiment. The sound may be a simple sound such as a single tone, or a complex sound such as a musical piece.

[0018] The object 20 may be represented solely by sound. The object 20 may further include other representations besides sound (e.g., visual representations). For example, when the object 20 is represented visually, the output device 2 may further include at least one of a projector and a display (including a touch panel display). The visual representation of the object 20 is not particularly limited and may be determined as appropriate depending on the embodiment. The position 25 of the object 20 may also be represented by the actual presence of a marker cone or the like.

[0019] (Target output) In one example, the output device 2 may be connected to the control device 1 and configured to output (present) the object 20 when controlled by the control device 1. In another example, the output device 2 may be connected to a computer other than the control device 1 and connected by the other computer. The device may be configured to output (present) the object 20. In yet another example, the output device 2 may be configured to output (present) the object 20 autonomously. In this case, the output device 2 may or may not be connected to the control device 1. The position 25 of the object 20 may change discretely or continuously.

[0020] (Measuring device) The configuration of the measuring device 3 is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the embodiment, as long as it is possible to measure the position 35 of the localized position 30 as determined by subject Z. For example, the measuring device 3 may consist of an imaging device, a touch panel, a robotic manipulator (such as BKIN's KINARM), motion capture, or a combination thereof. The imaging device may include any sensor that acquires data in the form of an image or image representation, such as an RGB camera, depth sensor, infrared sensor, radar, or LiDAR (light detection and ranging). If the measuring device 3 includes an imaging device, the position 35 of the localized position 30 may be determined from the results of image analysis on the image obtained by the imaging device. The method of image analysis is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the embodiment. If the measuring device 3 includes a touch panel or a robotic manipulator, the position 35 of the localized position 30 may be determined according to the operation of the touch panel or robotic manipulator. If the measuring device 3 includes motion capture, the position 35 of the localized position 30 may be determined according to the measurement results of the motion capture. The measurement result of the position 35 of the local position 30 may be calculated within the measuring device 3, or it may be calculated by at least one of the control device 1 and other computers other than the control device 1.

[0021] If the position 35 of the localization 30 can be identified, the action 31 for localization is not particularly limited and may be determined as appropriate depending on the embodiment. The action 31 may include, for example, pointing, body movement, etc. In one example, pointing may be done directly with the hand or indirectly through a pointing tool. The pointing tool may include, for example, a stick, a pointing device, etc. If the action 31 includes pointing, the position indicated by the pointing finger may be the position 35 of the localization 30. In one example, body movement may be moving to the position 25 of the object 20. Also, in one example, the action 31 for localization may include operations such as touching a touch panel or operating a robot manipulator.

[0022] In one example of this embodiment, the measuring device 3 may be configured to measure not only the position 35 of the local position 30 but also the position 25 of the target 20. In this case, similar to the position 35 of the local position 30, the measurement result of the position 25 of the target 20 may be calculated within the measuring device 3, or it may be calculated by at least one of the control device 1 and other computers other than the control device 1. However, the method for identifying the position 25 of the target 20 is not limited to this example and may be appropriately selected depending on the embodiment. In another example, the position 25 of the target 20 may be predetermined. In this case, position information indicating the position 25 of the target 20 at each time point may be appropriately provided. In yet another example, when the control device 1 or another computer controls the presentation of the target 20 by the output device 2, the position 25 of the target 20 may be defined in the control program.

[0023] (Feedback device) The configuration of the feedback device 4 is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the embodiment, as long as it is possible to output the matching result 45. In one example, the feedback device 4 may be configured to transmit information by means other than sight. For example, the feedback device 4 may consist of one or more speakers. The speakers may include earphones. The earphones may include headphones. In this case, the speakers constituting the feedback device 4 may be at least partially identical to the speakers constituting the output device 2, or they may be separate. The feedback device 4 may also be configured to transmit information by means other than hearing (e.g., touch).

[0024] (Presentation method) The method of presenting the object 20 is not particularly limited and may be determined appropriately depending on the embodiment, such as the configuration of the output device 2. As an example, at least one of the following two methods may be used as the presentation method.

[0025] (1) First method Figure 2 schematically shows an example of a method for presenting the object 20 according to this embodiment. In one example, the output device 2 and the measuring device 3 may be composed of a touch panel display TD. The touch panel display TD may be configured to present the object 20 on the screen TD1 and to accept a touch operation 310 on the screen TD1 as an operation 31 for positioning the object 20 at position 25. The touch panel display TD may move the object 20 continuously or discretely on the screen TD1. The attributes of the movement, such as trajectory and velocity, may be appropriately determined according to the embodiment. The touch operation 310 may include at least one of directly touching with a hand and indirectly touching with an indicator (such as a stylus pen). According to one example of this embodiment, the construction of a training system SY is easy by using a touch panel display TD.

[0026] The sound of the target 20 may be output in any way. In one example, the touch panel display TD may have one or more speakers TS1 built in. The output device 2 may include speaker TS1. In another example, speaker TS2 may be provided separately from the touch panel display TD. Speaker TS2 may be configured to output a sound image at any position on the screen TD1 of the touch panel display TD. Speaker TS2 may include earphones. The output device 2 may include speaker TS2. In this case, speaker TS1 may be omitted. Furthermore, the feedback device 4 may be composed of at least one of speaker TS1 and speaker TS2, or it may be composed of other speakers other than speaker TS1 and speaker TS2.

[0027] (2) Second method Figure 3 schematically shows another example of a method for presenting the object 20 according to this embodiment. In one example, the output device 2 may consist of a plurality of speakers SP arranged at a distance from each other. The plurality of speakers SP may be configured to present the object 20 by outputting sound from one or more of the speakers SP, and to change the position 25 of the object 20 by changing the speaker SP that outputs the sound.

[0028] For example, as illustrated in Figure 3, the output device 2 may output sound from one speaker SP and present the position of that speaker SP as the position 25 of the target 20. Alternatively, for example, the output device 2 may simultaneously output sound from two or more speaker SPs to represent a sound image at an arbitrary position and present the position of the represented sound image as the position 25 of the target 20. Alternatively, for example, the output device 2 may output sound from two or more speaker SPs and present the position of the speaker SP closest to the subject Z among the two or more speaker SPs that output sound as the position 25 of the target 20. The arrangement of each speaker SP is not particularly limited and may be determined as appropriate depending on the embodiment. With multiple speaker SPs, the spatial constraints on the position 25 of the target 20 are relatively small. Therefore, according to one example of this embodiment, a variety of training can be performed.

[0029] In one example, each speaker SP may be placed together with a marker cone SC. The marker cone SC may be placed at any position where a sound image is output, even if there are no speakers SP. The marker cone SC makes it easier to detect the position 25 of the target 20. The marker cone SC may be omitted.

[0030] (Feedback methods) The feedback method by the feedback device 4 is not particularly limited and may be determined appropriately depending on the configuration and other embodiments of the feedback device 4. As an example, at least one of the following two methods may be used as the feedback method.

[0031] (I) First method Figure 4 schematically shows an example of a feedback method according to this embodiment. In one example, the feedback from the feedback device 4 may be configured to indicate whether the position 35 of the subject Z's localization 30 is correct relative to the position 25 of the target 20 output by the output device 2. That is, the feedback may be configured to indicate the success or failure of the tracking task (matching result 45) as a binary value. The sounds for correct and incorrect answers are not particularly limited and may be determined as appropriate depending on the embodiment. For example, the sound for a correct answer may be a pleasant sound (such as a coin sound). Also, for example, the sound for an incorrect answer may be a sound that encourages improvement or caution (such as a buzzer sound). According to this example, in the feedback, whether or not the tracking task is correct is expressed as a binary value. Therefore, the subject Z can easily interpret the success or failure of the tracking task.

[0032] (II) Second method Figure 5 schematically shows another example of the feedback method according to this embodiment. In one example, the feedback from the feedback device 4 may be configured to show the error 450 between the position 35 of the localization 30 by subject Z and the position 25 of the object 20 output by the output device 2. In one example, the error 450 may be composed of vector errors (distance and direction). For example, a distance error may be expressed by the length of a sound, and a direction error may be expressed by the pitch. As a specific example, if the position 35 of the localization 30 is shifted 20 cm to the right relative to the position 25 of the object 20, the feedback device 4 may output a 2000 Hz sound for 2 seconds. On the other hand, if the position 35 of the localization 30 is shifted 1 cm to the left relative to the position 25 of the object 20, the feedback device 4 may output a 500 Hz sound for 0.5 seconds. The method of expressing the error 450 is not limited to these examples and may be appropriately changed depending on the embodiment. According to one example of this embodiment, by providing feedback on the degree of error (error 450), it is possible to encourage subject Z to correct the position 35 of the localization 30.

[0033] §2 Example Configuration [Hardware configuration] Figure 6 schematically shows an example of the hardware configuration of the control device 1 according to this embodiment. In one example, the control device 1 may be a computer in which a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an external interface 13, an input device 14, an output device 15, and a drive 16 are electrically connected.

[0034] The control unit 11 is a hardware processor, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), It includes RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., and is configured to perform information processing based on programs and various data. The control unit 11 (CPU) is an example of processor resources.

[0035] The storage unit 12 may be composed of, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, or a semiconductor memory. The storage unit 12 (and RAM, ROM) are examples of memory resources. In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 stores various information such as the control program 81. The control program 81 is a program that causes the control device 1 to execute information processing related to the tracking task of the target 20 (Figure 8, described later). The control program 81 includes a series of instructions for said information processing.

[0036] The external interface 13 is configured to connect to an external device via wired or wireless connection. The internal interface 13 may be, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, a communication port, a dedicated port, etc. The type and number of external interfaces 13 may be determined as appropriate depending on the embodiment. The communication standard of the communication port may be arbitrarily selected. In this embodiment, the control device 1 may be connected to at least one of the output device 2, the measuring device 3, and the feedback device 4 via the external interface 13.

[0037] The input device 14 is a device for receiving information input from the operator. The input device 14 may include, for example, a mouse, keyboard, or control. The output device 15 is a device for outputting information to the operator. The output device 15 may include, for example, a display or speaker. The operator can operate the control device 1 by using the input device 14 and the output device 15. The input device 14 and the output device 15 may be connected via an external interface 13. The input device 14 and the output device 15 may be integrated together by, for example, a touch panel display. The output device 15 may be at least part of the output device 2, or it may be provided separately from the output device 2. The input device 14 may be at least part of the measuring device 3, or it may be provided separately from the measuring device 3.

[0038] The drive 16 is a device for reading various information, such as programs, stored in the storage medium 91. The storage medium 91 may be configured to store various information (stored programs, etc.) by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical means so that a machine such as a computer can read the information. The control program 81 may be stored in the storage medium 91 in place of or together with the storage unit 12. The control device 1 may obtain the control program 81 from the storage medium 91. The storage medium 91 may be a disk-type storage medium (CD, DVD, etc.) or a non-disk-type storage medium such as semiconductor memory (flash memory, etc.). The type of drive 16 may be appropriately selected according to the type of storage medium 91. The drive 16 may be connected via an external interface 13. The storage unit 12 and the storage medium 91 are examples of non-temporary storage media.

[0039] Regarding the specific hardware configuration of the control device 1, components can be omitted, replaced, and added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. For example, the control unit 11 may include multiple hardware processors. The type of hardware processor is not limited to a CPU and may be appropriately selected depending on the embodiment. The storage unit 12 may be composed of RAM and ROM included in the control unit 11. At least one of the external interface 13, input device 14, output device 15, and drive 16 may be omitted. At least one of the output device 2, measuring device 3, and feedback device 4 may be mounted on the control device 1. The control device 1 may be composed of multiple computers. In this case, the hardware configuration of each computer may or may not be the same. Furthermore, the control device 1 may be an information processing device designed specifically for the services provided, or it may be a general-purpose PC (Personal Computer), tablet PC, mobile terminal (including smartphone), etc.

[0040] [Software Configuration] Figure 7 schematically shows an example of the software configuration of the control device 1 according to this embodiment. The control unit 11 of the control device 1 executes instructions contained in the control program 81 stored in the storage unit 12 using the CPU. As a result, the control device 1 according to this embodiment operates as a computer equipped with a matching unit 111 and a feedback processing unit 112 as software modules. In other words, in this embodiment, each software module of the control device 1 is realized by the control unit 11 (CPU).

[0041] The matching unit 111 is configured to compare the position 25 of the target 20 output by the output device 2 with the position 35 of the subject Z's localization 30 measured by the measuring device 3. The back processing unit 112 is configured to provide feedback to subject Z of the matching result 45 via the feedback device 4.

[0042] In this embodiment, an example is described in which each software module of the control device 1 is implemented by a general-purpose CPU. However, some or all of the above software modules may be implemented by one or more dedicated processors or chipsets. Each of the above modules may also be implemented as a hardware module. Furthermore, regarding the software configuration of the control device 1, software modules may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate, depending on the embodiment.

[0043] §3 Example of Operation Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the control device 1 according to this embodiment. The following processing procedure is an example of a control method (information processing method) executed by a computer. However, the processing procedure of the control device 1 is merely an example, and each step may be modified as much as possible. Furthermore, depending on the embodiment, steps in the following processing procedure can be omitted, replaced, and added as appropriate.

[0044] (Step S101) In step S101, the control unit 11 operates as a comparison unit 111. The control unit 11 compares the position 25 of the target 20 output by the output device 2 with the position 35 of the subject Z's localization 30 measured by the measuring device 3.

[0045] Before matching, the object 20 may be presented to subject Z in any way. The position 35 of localization 30 by subject Z may be measured in any way. In one example, the output device 2 and the measuring device 3 may consist of a touch panel display TD. The object 20 may be presented on the screen TD1 of the touch panel display TD. The touch panel display TD may move the object 20 arbitrarily on the screen TD1. The position 35 of localization 30 may be measured as the position of a touch operation 310 on the screen TD1. In another example, the output device 2 may consist of a plurality of speakers SP placed at a distance from each other. The plurality of speakers SP may present the object 20 by outputting sound through one or more of the speakers SP. The plurality of speakers SP may change the position 25 of the object 20 by changing which speaker SP outputs sound.

[0046] Furthermore, the position 25 of the target 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 may be compared in any way. For example, if the measuring device 3 includes an imaging device, the position 25 of the target 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 may be identified from the measurement data of the measuring device 3. That is, the position 25 of the target 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 may be obtained from the same source of information. Accordingly, in one example, the control unit 11 may analyze the position 25 of the target 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 from the measurement data of the measuring device 3, and then compare the analyzed positions 25 of the target 20 and 35 of the localization 30. In another example, the control unit 11 may directly analyze the result 45 of the comparison of the position 25 of the target 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 (for example, whether the position 35 of the localization 30 by subject Z is correct for the position 25 of the target 20, error 450, etc.) from the measurement data of the measuring device 3. That is, comparing the position 25 of the target 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 may be performed by obtaining the result of this analysis. In this case, detection of the position 25 of the target 20 and the position 35 of the localized 30 may be omitted.

[0047] Note that this measurement data analysis process does not necessarily have to be performed by the control device 1. The measurement data analysis process may be performed by other devices (measuring device 3, other computer) other than the control device 1. If the position 25 of the target 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 are identified by other devices, the control unit 11 will acquire the position 25 of the target 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 from the other devices. The position 25 of the object 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 may be compared. If the comparison result 45 is analyzed by another device, comparing the position 25 of the object 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 may be performed by obtaining the comparison result 45 from the other device. Furthermore, the position 25 of the object 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 may be identified from the same measurement data. Alternatively, for example, the position 25 of the object 20 may be identified from the captured image of the imaging device, and the position 35 of the localization 30 may be identified from the measurement data of the motion capture device, so the position 25 of the object 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 may be identified from different measurement data.

[0048] In another example, the position 35 of the localization 30 is determined from the measurement data of the measuring device 3, while the position 25 of the target 20 may be obtained from a source other than the measurement data of the measuring device 3. That is, the position 25 of the target 20 and the position 35 of the localization 30 may be obtained separately. For example, the position 25 of the target 20 may be predetermined. In this case, position information indicating the position 25 of the target 20 at each time point may be provided as appropriate. The position information may be stored in the control device 1, such as the storage unit 12 or storage medium 91, or it may be stored in a storage area outside the control device 1. The control unit 11 may obtain the position 25 of the target 20 by appropriately referring to the position information. Also, for example, the position 25 of the target 20 may be defined in a control program for outputting the target 20. When the control device 1 controls the output device 2, the position 25 of the target 20 may be defined in the control program 81. In this case, the control unit 11 may obtain the position 25 of the target 20 from the information defined in the control program 81. Furthermore, if the output device 2 operates autonomously or is controlled by another computer, the control unit 11 may obtain information indicating the position 25 of the object 20 from the output device 2 or the other computer. The control unit 11 may compare the position 25 of the object 20 obtained from the other information source with the position 35 of the localized position 30 identified from the measurement data of the measuring device 3. After comparing the position 25 of the object 20 with the position 35 of the localized position 30, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step S102.

[0049] (Step S102) In step S102, the control unit 11 operates as a feedback processing unit 112. The control unit 11 provides the verification result 45 to subject Z via the feedback device 4. In one example, the feedback may be configured to indicate whether the position 35 of subject Z's localization 30 is correct for the position 25 of the object 20. In another example, the feedback may be configured to indicate the error 450 between the position 35 of subject Z's localization 30 and the position 25 of the object 20. Once the feedback output is complete, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step S103.

[0050] (Step S103) In step S103, the control unit 11 determines whether or not to terminate the process. The criteria for this determination can be set arbitrarily. For example, the control unit 11 may determine not to terminate the process until a termination instruction is given. On the other hand, when a termination instruction is given, the control unit 11 may determine to terminate the process. The termination instruction can be defined arbitrarily. For example, the termination instruction may be defined according to the completion of the tracking task.

[0051] If the control unit 11 determines that it is not time to terminate the process, it returns to step S101 and executes the process again from step S101. The control unit 11 may also execute the process again from step S101 in response to a change in the position 25 of the target 20. The control unit 11 may also execute the process again from step S101 while the position 25 of the target 20 is not changing. The timing of executing the series of processes from step S101 and the timing of the change in the position 25 of the target 20 may be defined as appropriate depending on the embodiment. If the control unit 11 determines that it is time to terminate the process, it terminates the processing procedure related to this example. Note that the timing of terminating the process is not limited to this example. The control unit 11 may terminate the processing procedure at any timing. In one example, the control unit 11 terminates the series of processes from step S101 to step S103. The processing may be executed in real time.

[0052] [Features] According to this embodiment, through the task of correctly tracking the object 20 through the processing in steps S101 and S102, subject Z can be trained to perceive the environment using proprioception (sensation regarding the position and movement of the body) through training involving physical movement of the body without relying on vision. Therefore, according to this embodiment, subject Z can be trained to perceive physical space and to control movement within the perceived space.

[0053] §4 Variant While embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above, the above description is merely illustrative in all respects of this disclosure. Needless to say, various improvements or modifications can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The processes and means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical inconsistencies arise.

[0054] §5 Experimental Examples The following experiment was conducted to verify whether visually impaired individuals can perform accurate arm reaching movements using auditory feedback. However, the present invention is not limited to the following experimental examples.

[0055] (experiment) Figure 9 schematically shows the experimental setup. An experiment using an arm-reaching task was conducted with one subject (34 years old, male) who had acquired blindness. The subject operated the handle of a robotic manipulator (KINARM Exoskeleton Lab, manufactured by BIKIN branch) with his right hand to control a cursor on the screen. The radius of the sol was 0.5 cm. Participants performed a reaching motion towards one of three targets (Target 1, Target 2, Target 3). Each target was a circle with a radius of 1 cm. The distance from each target to the starting position was 7 cm. Participants were instructed to pass through the target rather than stop there. If the movement distance exceeded 7 cm, resistance was applied to the direction of the handle, and participants were instructed to stop after feeling this resistance. The targets to be moved were presented by computer voice. For Target 1, the voice was "left," for Target 2, "forward," and for Target 3, "right." After the voice related to the target, a beep sound was emitted, and the participant began the movement.

[0056] (feedback) The position of the hand when the cursor movement distance from the starting position exceeded 7 cm was defined as the endpoint of the movement used for feedback. The difference between the endpoint of the movement and the position of the target center was defined as the motion error. If the motion error was equal to the target radius (1 cm), the task was considered a successful trial with the target hit, and a pleasant sound like a coin clicking was provided as feedback. On the other hand, in unsuccessful trials, error information was provided as feedback. The motion error was defined to have two pieces of information: direction and distance. Specifically, auditory feedback of the motion error was used, where the direction information was represented by the pitch of the sound and the distance information by the length of the sound. If the error occurred in a clockwise direction, a 2000 Hz pure tone was provided as feedback. If the error occurred in a counterclockwise direction, a 500 Hz pure tone was provided as feedback. In addition, the length of the sound proportional to the error distance was provided as feedback.

[0057] (result) Figure 10 shows the results of the cursor trajectory performed by the subjects when they performed a movement to reach each target. Based on feedback after each trial, the subjects modified their movements and were able to perform movements to reach each target correctly. This result suggests that the body movements performed when the target was tracked correctly acted as a reinforcer, training the ability to perceive the environment through proprioception (the sense of the body's position and movement). It was found that this is possible. In other words, according to the above embodiment, it was possible to verify that it is possible to train subjects to develop the ability to perceive physical space and the ability to control movement within that perceived space. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0058] SY... Training System, 1...Control device, 11...Control unit, 12...Storage unit, 13...External interface, 14...Input device, 15...Output device, 16...Drive, 81...Control program, 91...Storage medium, 111...Verification unit, 112...Feedback processing unit, 2…Output device, 20...Target, 25...(Target's) position, 3… Measuring device, 30...localization, 35...position (of localization), 31... Operation, 310... Touch operation, 4…Feedback device, 45... (the result of the comparison), 450... error, TD...Touch panel display, TS1 / TS2...Speakers TD1...screen, SP...Speaker, SC...Marker cone

Claims

1. Output device, Measuring device, Feedback device, and control device, A training system equipped with, The output device is configured to output sound and present an object whose position is changed. The measuring device is configured to measure the actions taken by a subject tracking the object to determine the object's position. The control device is The position of the target output by the output device and the position of the subject measured by the measuring device are compared. The system is configured to provide feedback to the subject regarding the matching results via the feedback device. Training system.

2. The output device and the measuring device are configured as touch panel displays. The aforementioned touch panel display is The aforementioned object is presented on the screen, and The system is configured to accept touch operations on the screen as an operation for determining the position of the aforementioned object. The training system according to claim 1.

3. The output device is composed of multiple speakers arranged at a distance from each other. Multiple speakers are configured to present the object by outputting sound from one or more of the multiple speakers, and to change the position of the object by changing the speaker that outputs the sound. The training system according to claim 1.

4. The feedback provided by the feedback device is configured to indicate whether the subject's localization position is correct relative to the position of the target output by the output device. The training system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The feedback from the feedback device is configured to indicate the error in the subject's localization position relative to the position of the target output by the output device. The training system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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