Aid for the Blind to Facilitate the Learning Process of the Local Environment by the Use of Tactile Map

Abstract

This paper present one possibility of application of the path planning from mobile robotics of the local urban environment learning of a blind person. Similar to a mobile robot, in the everyday manoeuvring in the local environment the blind are forced to resolve problems of localization, orientation, navigation and moving around. Like a mobile robot, also the blind rely on relative measurement or absolute measurement; that is, they rely on the sense of touch and hearing. Therefore, the applicability of the results from mobile robotics research seems natural also for the blind. Indeed, applications of the obstacles avoidance, localization, sensor fusion and path finding have found their use in the development for the blind.