title: A wearable system for the visually impaired.
abstract: We present a light-weight, cheap and low-power, wearable system for assisting the visually impaired in performing routine mobility tasks. Our system extends the range of the white cane by providing the user with vibro-tactile cues corresponding to the location of obstacles and a safe path for traversal through a cluttered environment. The presented approach keeps cognitive load to a minimum, and while being autonomous, adapts to the changing mobility requirements of a navigating user. In this paper, we provide an overview of the hardware and algorithmic components of our system, and show results of pilot studies with human test subjects. Our system operates at 20Hz, and significantly improves mobility performance compared to using only the white cane.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. vivekpra@usc.edu
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pradeep
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Medioni
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weiland
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003020:Clothing; D003867:Depth Perception; D006801:Humans; D012682:Sensory Aids; D013997:Time Factors; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities