Communications of the ACM
University of Nevada, Reno Scientists Design Low-Cost Indoor Navigation System For Blind
Credit: Monika Wisniewska/iStockphoto
University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) researchers have developed Navatar, an indoor navigation system for people with visual impairments.
The smartphone-based system combines human-computer interaction and motion-planning research. "Existing indoor navigation systems typically require the use of expensive and heavy sensors, or equipping rooms and hallways with radio-frequency tags that can be detected by a handheld reader and which are used to determine the user’s location," says UNR's Kostas Berkis. Navatar uses two-dimensional architectural maps, which are already available for many buildings, as well as low-cost sensors such as accelerometers and compasses. The system locates and tracks users inside buildings, finding the best path based on their needs, and provides step-by-step instructions to the destination.
"To synchronize the location, our system combines probabilistic algorithms and the natural capabilities of people with visual impairments to detect landmarks in their environment through touch, such as corridor intersections, doors, stairs, and elevators," says UNR's Eelke Folmer.
The directions are provided using synthetic speech, while users confirm their location by verbal cues or by pressing a button on the phone. The researchers now are seeking new applications for Navatar, including integrating it into outdoor navigation systems that use global positioning systems.
From University of Nevada, Reno
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