NAVI - A proof-of-concept of a mobile navigational aid for visually impaired based on the microsoft kinect

Abstract

We present a proof-of-concept of a mobile navigational aid that uses the Microsoft Kinect and optical marker tracking to help visually impaired people find their way inside buildings. The system is the result of a student project and is entirely based on low-cost hard- and software. It provides continuous vibrotactile feedback on the person's waist, to give an impression of the environment and to warn about obstacles. Furthermore, optical markers can be used to tag points of interest within the building to enable synthesized voice instructions for point-to-point navigation. © 2011 IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.