Hazard warning device for the visually impaired

By installing more 3D cameras and some hi-tech accessories, German inventors have improved the traditional white-eye-bar for visually impaired people into a device that helps them avoid obstacles while moving. move more effectively.

Improved equipment with 3D camera navigation for the visually impaired. Picture: gizmowatch

Despite recent advances in ultrasonic and laser resonance, the traditional white sticks are still one of the most common tools for blind people to walk around without being hit. with obstacles.

However, through a project called Movement Assistance for the Blind (NAVI) , students from Konstanz University (Germany) have focused on the 3D imaging capabilities of the Kinect Microft camera to A device that can improve the low-tech white-sticks. By using sound and vibration feedback, the NAVI system can help pinpoint potential dangers for visually impaired people.

According to Discovery , the device is the brainchild of two masters, Michael Zollner and Stephan Huber.

Mounted on the head of the visually impaired through a hard hat and adhesive tape, the Kinect camera can detect objects beyond the narrow control of the stick. Image and depth information collected by the camera will be forwarded to a laptop in a backpack that is connected via a USB port with a 2009 Arduino board tied securely to a cloth strapped around the waist.

The laptop software will handle space and depth information, and then transfer them to three pairs of LilyPad Arduino vibration motors mounted to the left, right and center of the fabric. When detected, the location of a potential obstacle is conveyed to the wearer by a series of vibrations.

The audio signal, based on detecting the distance to the mark of the camera, is transmitted through a set of Bluetooth headsets to provide additional migration instructions. For example, when a blind person approaches a door, they can hear the warning "c the door in front, 3, 2, 1, pull the door ". The headset also reads the ARToolKit notation on walls and doors.