Search results

(1 - 2 of 2)
MACHINE VISION NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE
Title
MACHINE VISION NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE
Creator
Yang, Guojun
Date
2021
Description
Visually impaired people are often challenged in the efficient navigation of complex environments. Moreover, helping them navigate intuitively...
Show moreVisually impaired people are often challenged in the efficient navigation of complex environments. Moreover, helping them navigate intuitively is not a trivial task. Cognitive maps derived from visual cues play a pivotal role in navigation. In this dissertation, we present a sight-to-sound human–machine interface (STS-HMI), a novel machine vision guidance system that enables visually impaired people to navigate with instantaneous and intuitive responses. This proposed system extracts visual context from scenes and converts them into binaural acoustic cues for users to establish cognitive maps. The development of the proposed STS-HMI system encompasses four major components: (i) a machine vision–based indoor localization system that uses augmented reality (AR) markers to locate the user in GPS-denied environments (e.g., indoor); (ii) a feature-based object detection and localization system called the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm, which tracks the mobility of users when AR markers are not visible; (iii) a path-planning system that creates a course towards a destination while avoiding obstacles; and (iv) an acoustic human–machine interface to navigate users in complex navigation courses. Throughout the research and development of this dissertation, each component is analyzed for optimal performance. The navigation algorithms are used to evaluate the performance of the STS-HMI system in a complicated environment with difficult navigation paths. The experimental results confirm that the STS-HMI system advances the mobility of visually impaired people with minimal effort and high accuracy.
Show less
Empowering Visually Impaired Individuals With Holistic Assistance Using Real-Time Spatial Awareness System
Title
Empowering Visually Impaired Individuals With Holistic Assistance Using Real-Time Spatial Awareness System
Creator
Yu, Xinrui
Date
2024
Description
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into daily life opens unprecedented avenues for enhancing the experiences of visually impaired...
Show moreThe integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into daily life opens unprecedented avenues for enhancing the experiences of visually impaired individuals, offering them greater autonomy and quality of life. This thesis introduces a Visually Impaired Spatial Awareness (VISA) system designed to assist visually impaired individuals holistically through a structured approach. At the foundational level, the VISA system incorporates several key technologies to interpret the surroundings and assist in basic navigation tasks. It utilizes Augmented Reality (AR) markers to facilitate recognition of places and aid in navigation, employs neural network models for advanced object detection and tracking, and leverages depth information for accurate object localization. Progressing to the intermediate level, the VISA system integrates the data obtained from object detection and depth sensing to assist in more complex navigational tasks such as obstacle avoidance and pathfinding toward a desired destination. At the advanced level, the VISA system synthesizes the capabilities developed at the foundational and intermediate levels to enhance the spatial awareness of visually impaired users, allowing them to undertake complex tasks, such as navigating complex environments and locating specific items. The VISA system also emphasizes efficient human-machine interaction, incorporating text-to-speech and speech-to-text technologies to facilitate natural and intuitive communication between the user and the system. The VISA system's performance was evaluated in different environments simulating real-world scenarios. The experimental results show that the user can interact with our system intuitively with minimal effort, and affirm that the VISA system can effectively assist the visually impaired user in locating and reaching for objects, navigating indoors, identifying merchandise, and recognizing both handwritten and printed texts.
Show less