Haptic Feedback to Detect Obstacles in Multiple Regions for Visually Impaired and Blind People

Abstract

Focus on the development of assistive devices for visually impaired and blind people (VIBs) to provide assistance in their safety and mobility has increased, but making such devices portable is still a challenge. We propose a system for localized obstacle avoidance with a haptic-based interface for VIBs implemented using a robotic operating system (ROS) to improve the obstacle detection of existing assistive devices. With a depth camera sensor, an obstacle localization algorithm was developed utilizing the ROS framework to identify key regions to detect head-level, left/right torso-level, and left/right ground-level obstacles. The proposed wearable device provides a discernible array of haptic feedback to convey the perceived locations of obstacles. The system was tested by blindfolded volunteers to determine the accuracy in determining object locations in various environments. Experimental results showed the consistency of the system across different setups. The obstacle detection algorithm was optimized and evaluated to discriminate noises and concurrently detect smaller obstacles, thus making detection more robust. Subsequently, the Eulerian video magnification method was used to determine the level of vibration isolation for a prototype.

The Aerial Guide Dog: A Low-Cognitive-Load Indoor Electronic Travel Aid for Visually Impaired Individuals

“…This wearable device, equipped with vibration motors in various areas on the user’s body, conveys the location of obstacles by activating the corresponding directional motor and indicates the distance to these obstacles through the intensity of the vibrations. Users can stop and make necessary adjustments based on the specific vibration cues to navigate around all types of obstacles [ 44 ].…”

Wearable Object Detection System for People with Blindness and IoT Monitoring

“…With the advance of technology, innovative projects that seek to help blind people have been created, such as in 2015 MIT's Media Labs introduced Finger Reader, which is a device used for text scanning and can read individual lines or blocks of text with feedback [2]. In the [3] research, they propose a system to avoid obstacles by locating them with a haptic interface for the visually impaired and blind people, implemented by means of a robotic operating system. Using a depth camera sensor they developed an algorithm capable of identifying obstacles at head level, left/right torso level, and ground level.…”