title: An Electromagnetic Sensor for the Autonomous Running of Visually Impaired and Blind Athletes (Part II: The Wearable Device).
abstract: Currently, the availability of technology developed to increase the autonomy of visually impaired athletes during sports is limited. The research proposed in this paper (Part I and Part II) focuses on the realization of an electromagnetic system that can guide a blind runner along a race track without the need for a sighted guide. In general, the system is composed of a transmitting unit (widely described in Part I) and a receiving unit, whose components and main features are described in this paper. Special attention is paid to the definition of an electromagnetic model able to faithfully represent the physical mechanisms of interaction between the two units, as well as between the receiving magnetic sensor and the body of the user wearing the device. This theoretical approach allows for an estimation of the signals to be detected, and guides the design of a suitable signal processing board. This technology has been realized, patented, and tested with a blind volunteer with successful results and this paper presents interesting suggestions for further improvements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Information Engineering, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy. marco.pieralisi@univpm.it.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pieralisi
authors.affiliation: Department of Information Engineering, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy. v.dimattia@univpm.it.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Mattia
authors.affiliation: Department of Information Engineering, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy. v.petrini@univpm.it.
authors.forename: Valerio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Petrini
authors.affiliation: Department of Information Engineering, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy. a.deleo@univpm.it.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Leo
authors.affiliation: Department of Information Engineering, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy. g.manfredi@univpm.it.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Manfredi
authors.affiliation: Department of Information Engineering, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy. paola.russo@univpm.it.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering and Mathematical Science, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy. l.scalise@univpm.it.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scalise
authors.affiliation: Department of Information Engineering, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche, 60121 Ancona, Italy. g.cerri@univpm.it.
authors.forename: Graziano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cerri
mesh_terms: D056352:Athletes; D001766:Blindness; D055590:Electromagnetic Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D012420:Running; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities; D000076251:Wearable Electronic Devices
keywords: electronic travel aids; virtual running lane; visually impaired athletes; wearable device