A wearable portable electronic travel aid for blind

Abstract

There have been numerous accounts of research relating to navigation assistance using vision sensors for those who are visually impaired. The struggle now is to find a solution that is low-powered, easily portable, low-cost, and still effective, which could theoretically be used by visually impaired users in order to improve their quality of life. This paper presents the design and implementation of such a system. The architecture begins with an array of ultrasonic sensors to survey the scene. Following that, distance information is used to provide a variety of distinct audio cues via a Bluetooth headset to its user. Data processing is done on a Raspberry Pi, which acts as the link between the input and output devices. Tests demonstrate that the system is accurate within the threshold radius and functions as a navigational assistant.