AudiNect: an aid for the autonomous navigation of visually impaired people, based on virtual interface

Abstract In this paper, the realization of a new kind of autonomous navigation aid is presented. The prototype, called AudiNect , is mainly developed as an aid for visually impaired people, though a larger range of applications is also possible. The AudiNect prototype is based on the Kinect device for Xbox 360. On the basis of the Kinect output data, proper acoustic feedback is generated, so that useful depth information from 3D frontal scene can be easily developed and acquired. To this purpose, a number of basic problems have been analyzed, in relation to visually impaired people orientation and movement, through both actual experimentations and a careful literature research in the field. Quite satisfactory results have been reached and discussed, on the basis of proper tests on blindfolded sighted individuals. Keywords : Visually Impaired, Blind, Autonomous Navigation, Virtual Interfaces, Kinect, AudiNect. 1. INTRODUCTION It is well known that the traditional aids for visually impaired people are canes and guide dogs, though they can present a number of limitations. Indeed, they do not allow natural movements or extended mobility, so that external helps and additional costs can often be required. In recent years, Virtual and Augmented Reality has been applied to rehabilitation of children and adults in presence of visual impairment, so that increased autonomy and significant life quality improvement can be reached [1], [2], [3], [4].