A prototype mobility and navigation tele-assistance system for visually disabled

Abstract

The paper presents initial research on the system for remote guidance of the blind. The concept is based on the idea that a blind pedestrian can be aided by spoken instructions from an operator who receives a video stream from a camera and GPS readouts from a sensor carried by a visually impaired user. An early prototype utilizing two laptop PCs and a wireless internet connection is used in indoor orientation and mobility trials, which aim to measure the potential usefulness of the system and discover possible problems with user-operator communication or device design. A second prototype is also constructed using a smaller subnotebook Flybook computer, a GPS sensor and GSM modem with HSDPA technology, and tested in outdoor environments. Test results show a quantitative performance increase when travelling with a remote guide: 15-50% speed increase and halved times of navigational tasks in indoor trials, as well as a significant decrease in the number of missteps and accidental obstacle collisions in outdoor trials. A large part of the success is the supportive feedback from the blind testers, who point out the engendered feeling of safety when assisted.