Navigation Systems for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Past Work, Challenges, and Open Problems
Over the last decades, the development of navigation devices capable of guiding the blind through indoor and/or outdoor scenarios has remained a challenge. In this context, this paper’s objective is to provide an updated, holistic view of this research, in order to enable developers to exp...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/15/3404 |
| _version_ | 1828112943813754880 |
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| author | Santiago Real Alvaro Araujo |
| author_facet | Santiago Real Alvaro Araujo |
| author_sort | Santiago Real |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Over the last decades, the development of navigation devices capable of guiding the blind through indoor and/or outdoor scenarios has remained a challenge. In this context, this paper’s objective is to provide an updated, holistic view of this research, in order to enable developers to exploit the different aspects of its multidisciplinary nature. To that end, previous solutions will be briefly described and analyzed from a historical perspective, from the first “Electronic Travel Aids” and early research on sensory substitution or indoor/outdoor positioning, to recent systems based on artificial vision. Thereafter, user-centered design fundamentals are addressed, including the main points of criticism of previous approaches. Finally, several technological achievements are highlighted as they could underpin future feasible designs. In line with this, smartphones and wearables with built-in cameras will then be indicated as potentially feasible options with which to support state-of-art computer vision solutions, thus allowing for both the positioning and monitoring of the user’s surrounding area. These functionalities could then be further boosted by means of remote resources, leading to cloud computing schemas or even remote sensing via urban infrastructure. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:58:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-66feea55aff54ded99a9ae098981ae38 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T11:58:32Z |
| publishDate | 2019-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-66feea55aff54ded99a9ae098981ae382022-12-22T04:25:00ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202019-08-011915340410.3390/s19153404s19153404Navigation Systems for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Past Work, Challenges, and Open ProblemsSantiago Real0Alvaro Araujo1B105 Electronic Systems Lab, ETSI Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Avenida Complutense 30, 28040 Madrid, SpainB105 Electronic Systems Lab, ETSI Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Avenida Complutense 30, 28040 Madrid, SpainOver the last decades, the development of navigation devices capable of guiding the blind through indoor and/or outdoor scenarios has remained a challenge. In this context, this paper’s objective is to provide an updated, holistic view of this research, in order to enable developers to exploit the different aspects of its multidisciplinary nature. To that end, previous solutions will be briefly described and analyzed from a historical perspective, from the first “Electronic Travel Aids” and early research on sensory substitution or indoor/outdoor positioning, to recent systems based on artificial vision. Thereafter, user-centered design fundamentals are addressed, including the main points of criticism of previous approaches. Finally, several technological achievements are highlighted as they could underpin future feasible designs. In line with this, smartphones and wearables with built-in cameras will then be indicated as potentially feasible options with which to support state-of-art computer vision solutions, thus allowing for both the positioning and monitoring of the user’s surrounding area. These functionalities could then be further boosted by means of remote resources, leading to cloud computing schemas or even remote sensing via urban infrastructure.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/15/3404assisting systemsnavigation systemsperceptionsituation awarenessvisually impaired |
| spellingShingle | Santiago Real Alvaro Araujo Navigation Systems for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Past Work, Challenges, and Open Problems Sensors assisting systems navigation systems perception situation awareness visually impaired |
| title | Navigation Systems for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Past Work, Challenges, and Open Problems |
| title_full | Navigation Systems for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Past Work, Challenges, and Open Problems |
| title_fullStr | Navigation Systems for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Past Work, Challenges, and Open Problems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Navigation Systems for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Past Work, Challenges, and Open Problems |
| title_short | Navigation Systems for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Past Work, Challenges, and Open Problems |
| title_sort | navigation systems for the blind and visually impaired past work challenges and open problems |
| topic | assisting systems navigation systems perception situation awareness visually impaired |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/15/3404 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT santiagoreal navigationsystemsfortheblindandvisuallyimpairedpastworkchallengesandopenproblems AT alvaroaraujo navigationsystemsfortheblindandvisuallyimpairedpastworkchallengesandopenproblems |