Beyond Sensory Substitution: A Body-Centric 360° Tactile Radar via Finite Structural Selection (MSHD–HSTG)

This paper proposes a body-centric 360° tactile radar as a new class of assistive perceptual interface for spatial hazard awareness. Unlike conventional tactile sensory substitution systems that aim to reconstruct visual scenes, the proposed approach treats the human body itself as the spatial reference frame. Surrounding hazards detected through omnidirectional sensing are mapped directly onto corresponding body regions, enabling intuitive perception of direction, proximity, and urgency. A key contribution is a finite structural selection mechanism governed by the MSHD–HSTG framework. Detected objects are hierarchically ranked by proximity, relative velocity, and hazard potential, and non-dominant stimuli are structurally suppressed. This guarantees that tactile output remains strictly finite and cognitively manageable, even under continuous full-coverage sensing in cluttered environments. By reframing assistive perception as bodily spatial awareness rather than visual substitution, this work offers a scalable and livable pathway toward reflex-oriented assistive interfaces.