title: Walking Using Touch: Design and Preliminary Prototype of a Non-Invasive ETA for the Visually Impaired.
abstract: This paper presents the design and preliminary prototype of the Intelligent Glasses, a novel non-invasive electronic travel aid (ETA) designed to assist the blind/visually impaired to navigate easily, safely and quickly among obstacles in indoor/outdoor 3D environments. The Intelligent Glasses, a joint project between the Robotics Laboratory of Paris (LRP) and the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), is based on a visuo-tactile system. Two mini-cameras mounted on the user's eyeglasses frame detect the obstacles ahead the walking course and translate this information to a tactile display as a map representing where the obstacles are located in the scene. The user freely explores the tactile map and is able to follow it easily, demonstrating initial feasibility of the system.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Robotique de Paris, CNRS FRE 2507, Université Paris 6, 18 Route du Panorama, BP 61, 92265 Fontenay aux Roses, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Velazquez
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Pissaloux
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Guinot
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maingreaud