Wearable exploration assistant for vison-impaired people to navigate new environments
This technology is a wearable sensor device to assist blind and vision impaired people in navigating new and unfamiliar environments.
Unmet Need: Device to help vision impaired individuals navigate unfamiliar environments
Current navigation assistant systems provide turn-by-turn navigation to help vision impaired individuals move throughout their day-to-day life, but do not extend to unfamiliar environments. Existing solutions consist of previously defined maps or routes, and do not account for sudden changes or new obstacles. Although these technologies have helped the blind and low-vision community significantly, these solutions are not generalizable to unexpected situations, limiting the independence of the user.
The Technology: Wearable sensor to inform user of objects in unfamiliar environments
This wearable device scans the environment, using LiDAR or depth camera technology, to detect the shape and proximity of obstacles. Computer vision algorithms are employed to recognize a variety of surfaces including corners, straight edges, and curved edges. This contextual information is conveyed to the vision-impaired operator using either speech or sonified waveforms, as indicated by the preference of the user. Unlike previous devices, this device can be used in both indoor and outdoor spaces, and can serve as a useful tool for navigating unfamiliar environments.
Applications:
- Safety warnings: approaching doors, stairs, and elevators
- Guidance for outdoor walking
- Travel assistance for visually impaired people
- Public transportation assistance
- Aid for vision-impaired individuals to navigate poorly lit environments
- Temporary assistance for patient’s recovery from eye surgery (i.e. Lasik, cataract surgery, etc)
- Assist device for workers in low visibility settings (i.e. firefighters, soldiers, policemen, etc)
- Easing patients with vision-loss into their new normal, allowing them to adapt as their vision worsens
Advantages:
- Adaptable to unfamiliar environments
- Sensitive to moving objects (such as people, vehicles chairs, etc) within an environment
- Functional for outdoor navigation
- Multiple options for user-feedback (speech or sonified waveforms) based upon preference
- Portable system to detect real-time environment without pre-planning
Lead Inventor:
Related Publications:
Tech Ventures Reference:
IR CU23072
Licensing Contact: Greg Maskel