Prototype Design and Development in Assistive Mobility Solution for the Visually Impaired using IOT

Authors

  • Dr. I. Lakshmi  Department of Computer Science, Stella Maris College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Keywords:

Visual Impairment, Mobility Aid, Assistive Technology, Location Tracking, Android Application, Navigation, Ultrasonic Sensors.

Abstract

In this paper, we have introduced an elaborate assistive mobility aid system for visually impaired individuals. In this system, a visually impaired individual is aided through a networked system comprising mainly an android device and ultrasonic sensors. The phone is placed in the individual’s pocket and the sensors are fitted at the individual’s feet and temple. The visually impaired individual, or ‘user’ for further reference, is guided through the environment through English voice guidance produced by the application as per the current position of the user and the relative position of obstacles in the line of the user’s path. The user can navigate around the app using voice commands. The app is made accessible using aural feedback. Navigation is supported using GPS with Google Maps (GPS is only applicable in outdoor navigation). Obstacle detection is done using ultrasonic sensors; the aggregate results of the readings are conveyed to the user through aural feedback. Location data and location history is uploaded and synced with a remote server at regular intervals to allow guardians and/or loved ones keep track of the user’s whereabouts. A panic feature is interposed among the features which will send an SOS message with last recorded location attached to an ICE contact and also place a call to the same.

References

  1. World Health Organization, "Visual impairment and blindness," http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/
  2. Faria, J., Lopes, S., Fernandes, H., Martins, P., & Barroso, J. "Electronic white cane for blind people navigation assistance," In World Automation Congress (WAC) IEEE, pp. 1-7, 2010.
  3. E. Foulke, "The perceptual basis for mobility," AFP Research Bulletin, Vol. 23, pp. 1-8, 1971.
  4. Ziad O. Abu-Faraj, Paul Ibrahim, Elie Jabbour, Anthony Ghaoui, "Design and Development of a Prototype Rehabilitative Shoe and Spectacles for the Blind," 2012 5th International Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Informatics (BMEI 2012).
  5. Abdel Ilah Nour Alshbata, "Automated Mobility and Orientation System for Blind or Partially Sighted People," INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL on SMART SENSING and INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS VOL. 6, NO. 2, APRIL 2013.
  6. Greg Olmschenk, Christopher Yang, Zhigang Zhu, Hanghang Tong, William H. Seiple, "Mobile Crowd Assisted Navigation for the Visually Impaired," UIC-ATC-ScalCom-CBD-IoP 2015.
  7. Andrew Y. J. Szeto, Assistive Technology and Rehabilitative Engineering. Chapter 5 in: John Enderle & Joseph Bronzino, "Introduction to Biomedical Engineering," 2011.
  8. Andrew Y. J. Szeto, Blind And Visually Impaired, Assistive Technology For. Chapter in: John G. Webster, "Encyclopedia of Medical Devices and Instrumentation," 2006.
  9. R. Velázquez, Wearable Assistive Devices for the Blind. Chapter 17 in A. Lay-Ekuakille & S.C. Mukhopadhyay (Eds.), "Wearable and Autonomous Biomedical Devices and Systems for Smart Environment: Issues and Characterization," LNEE 75, Springer, pp 331-349, 2010.
  10. Gaby Abou Haidar, Richard Maalouf, Batoul Mchiek, Houssein Allam, Abdul Rahim Moussa, "SMART WALKER," 2014 International Conference on Future Internet of Things and Cloud.
  11. Nandish M. S. , Mr. Chetan Balaji , Prof. Shantala C P. "An Outdoor Navigation With Voice Recognition Security Application For Visually Impaired People," International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT), V10(10),500-504 April 2014. ISSN:2231-5381.
  12. Ravi Sekhar Yarrabothu, Bramarambika Thota, "Abhaya: An Android App for the Safety of Women," IEEE Indicon 2015 1570191849.
  13. Md. Siddiqur Rahman Tanveer, M.M.A. Hashem and Md. Kowsar Hossain, "Android Assistant EyeMate for Blind and Blind Tracker," 18th International Conference on Computer Technology (ICCIT), 21-23 December

IInternational Journal of Scientific Research in Computer Science, Engineering and Information Technology

Downloads

Published

2018-02-28

Issue

Volume 3, Issue 1, January-February-2018

Section

Research Articles

License

Copyright (c) IJSRCSEIT

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

[1]
Dr. I. Lakshmi, " Prototype Design and Development in Assistive Mobility Solution for the Visually Impaired using IOT, IInternational Journal of Scientific Research in Computer Science, Engineering and Information Technology(IJSRCSEIT), ISSN : 2456-3307, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp.504-511, January-February-2018.