SINVI: smart indoor navigation for the visually impaired

Vision is an important sensory functionality of humans. Without which, navigation would be difficult and hazardous. In this paper, we outline the use of a novel approach to developing an automated guiding system for the blind. The approach is to use visual clues interpreted from images captured from a lightweight camera, mounted on a user. Visual clues are deciphered from the surrounding environment of the user. With just this information, the system would be able to guide the user through an indoor environment via audio cues. Majority of the visual clues would be gathered from the ceiling region. This is due to its low probability of being obscured, thereby increasing the chances of successful navigation.

[1]  Hambrecht Ft.  Visual prostheses based on direct interfaces with the visual system. , 1995 .

[2]  J. Zelek,et al.  A Stereo-vision System for the Visually Impaired , 2000 .

[3]  Minoru Asada,et al.  Motion Sketch: Acquisition of Visual Motion Guided Behaviors , 1995, IJCAI.

[4]  Peter B. L. Meijer,et al.  An experimental system for auditory image representations , 1992, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[5]  T. Ifukube,et al.  A blind mobility aid modeled after echolocation of bats , 1991, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[6]  W. H. Dobelle.  Artificial vision for the blind by connecting a television camera to the visual cortex. , 2000, ASAIO journal.

[7]  Hans P. Moravec,et al.  The Stanford Cart and the CMU Rover , 1983, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[8]  Willis J. Tompkins,et al.  A Tactile Vision-Substitution System for the Blind: Computer-Controlled Partial Image Sequencing , 1985, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[9]  Yoshihiro Kawai,et al.  A Visual Support System for Visually Impaired Persons Using Acoustic Interface , 2000, MVA.

[10]  Avinash C. Kak,et al.  Vision for Mobile Robot Navigation: A Survey , 2002, IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intell..

[11]  M. Mladejovsky,et al.  Artificial Vision for the Blind: Electrical Stimulation of Visual Cortex Offers Hope for a Functional Prosthesis , 1974, Science.

[12]  J M Loomis,et al.  Active localization of virtual sounds. , 1990, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[13]  Yoshihiro Kawai,et al.  A support system for visually impaired persons to understand three-dimensional visual information using acoustic interface , 2002, Object recognition supported by user interaction for service robots.