Walking Pal: A spatial and context aware system for the visual impaired

Abstract

People with visual impairment struggle to stay independent in unfamiliar places as they only have a sense of their immediate surroundings using the common available aids. The Walking Pal system aims to help the visually impaired become more independent in outdoor environments by being aware of both her immediate and extended surroundings. This would be achieved by describing points of interest, reading printed text, recognizing certain street features, and finally detecting obstacles. The Walking Pal system utilizes the power of smartphone technologies along with external hardware components to inform the user about the surrounding and guide her safely to her destination using audio messages.