A tactile pathway can communicate more than which way to move. When the symbols along it reflect the object at its destination, the route can also tell a person where it leads. For Robert Salazar, that possibility became one of the most promising aspects of his work with AstroAccess, with potential applications extending from spacecraft interiors to museum exhibits.
Salazar became involved through Stellar Amenities, where he served as Chief Technology Officer. AstroAccess’s work on disability inclusion in space provided the context for four tactile navigation designs: two directional surfaces, a system of symbols for navigating to specific objects, and a handle that conveyed the direction and distance to the next handhold. All four designs flew on zero-gravity test flights.
The tactile symbology opened a broader possibility. Rather than conveying only a direction, it associated the path with a particular object through the form of the symbol itself. Salazar sees promise in applying that relationship to museums, where people with vision impairments could use tactile routes to navigate through exhibits.
Such an application would carry the work into a different environment, with its own requirements for testing and refinement. It remains a prospective use of the design. The connection is nevertheless direct: both applications concern making a route and its destination intelligible through touch.
The four designs remain work worth developing further. Their flight testing forms part of that process, alongside the questions Salazar has identified about contact, cleaning, static, and impact risk. Together, they establish a basis for further investigation into how the surfaces people encounter can also help them find their way.
