Development of a low-cost senor based aid for visually impaired people

The aim of the project is the development of an aid for blind or visually impaired people, considering economic aspects as well as easy adaptability to various daily situations. Distance sensors were attached to a walking frame (rollator) to detect the distance to obstacles. The information from the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Loepthien Nora, Jehnichen Tanja, Hauser Josephine, Schullcke Benjamin, Möller Knut
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2016-09-01
Series:Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/cdbme-2016-0158
Description
Summary:The aim of the project is the development of an aid for blind or visually impaired people, considering economic aspects as well as easy adaptability to various daily situations. Distance sensors were attached to a walking frame (rollator) to detect the distance to obstacles. The information from the sensors is transmitted to the user via tactile feedback. This is realized with a number of vibration motors which were located at the upper belly area of the subject. To test the functionality of the aid to the blind, a testing track with obstacles has been passed through by a number of volunteers. While passing the track five times the needed time to pass through, as well as the number of collisions, were noticed. The results showed a decline in the average time needed to pass though the testing track. This indicates a learning process of the operator to interpret the signals given by the tactile feedback.
ISSN:2364-5504