SWAN: System for Wearable Audio Navigation

Abstract

Abstract-Wearable computers can certainly support audio-only presentation of information; a visual interface need not be present for effective user interaction. A System for Wearable Audio Navigation (SWAN) is being developed to serve as a navigation and orientation aid for persons temporarily or permanently visually impaired. SWAN is a wearable computer consisting of audio-only output and tactile input via a taskspecific handheld interface device. SWAN aids a user in safe pedestrian navigation and includes the ability for the user to author new GIS data relevant to their needs of wayfinding, obstacle avoidance, and situational awareness support. Emphasis is placed on representing pertinent data with nonspeech sounds through a process of sonification. SWAN relies on a Geographic Information System (GIS) infrastructure for supporting geocoding and spatialization of data. Furthermore, SWAN utilizes a novel tracking system.

A survey of assistive technologies and applications for blind users on mobile platforms: a review and foundation for research

“…A recent system with a comparable level of sophistication is the System for Wearable Audio Navigation (SWAN), which was developed to serve as a safe pedestrian navigation and orientation aid for persons with temporary or permanent visual impairments [36,37]. SWAN consists of an audio-only output and a tactile input via a dedicated handheld interface device.…”

The Time Machine – An Inclusive Tourist Guide Application Supporting Exploration

“…An early attempt was the Audio GPS [3]. The Swan project [21] gives auditory feedback about routes and context aimed for visually impaired persons. The ONTRACK [4] system uses 3D audio and music to guide the user, while the Soundcrumbs [6] uses chosen audio tracks of varying volume according to the user's phone bearing.…”

Kinesthetic Cues that Lead the Way

“…Since people with visual impairments cannot use vision-based navigation aids, many handheld auditory-feedback devices for people with visual impairments have been developed, such as Talking Signs (Crandall et al 1999) or similar acoustic information output devices (Loomis et al 2005). Although such audio interfaces help users move in the right direction by providing sound cues, they can be problematic when they conflict with other sounds or speech around the users, making it difficult for them to distinguish and interpret the sounds generated by the system (Wilson et al 2007). In addition, pedestrians with visual impairments often rely on information contained within the ambient sounds for navigation purposes.…”