How can spatial computing assist people with disabilities?

Spatial computing can assist people with disabilities by introducing new assistive technologies tailored to individual needs across various use cases^[1][2].

Key Use Cases

• Spatial Audio Navigation and Spatial Continuity: Modern spatial computing devices support tasks beyond digital contexts to help make physical reality accessible for users with visual impairments through methods like Spatial Continuity^[3].
• Sign Language Avatars: Translating spoken language to signed language involves displaying the language visually as animation via a 3D virtual human known as an avatar^[4]. Virtual reality and augmented reality present new applications for representing signed language in immersive spaces^[5], and researchers study how avatar adjustments such as scalable size and adjustable spatial positioning affect comprehensibility, user experience, and acceptability^[6].
• Adaptive Interface Scaling and Contactless Interaction: Specially tailored interfaces cater to individual needs for people with limited abilities^[7]. Voice control and gestures allow for contactless interaction from a distance, and spatial representations help make local surroundings easier to understand^[8].

Open Challenges

• Sign Language Representation: Developing and refining sign language avatars remains an open question that researchers have been grappling with for over twenty years, particularly regarding textual representation for avatar display and unique aspects of signed languages^[9].

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