SBIR Phase II: Individualized Guidance for the Blind (IGB)

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop an Individualized Guidance for the Blind system which is an accurate, affordable, easy-to-use indoor/outdoor assistive navigation system to aid people who are blind in wayfinding and traveling. In a separate effort, a wayfinding system for the blind using GPS for outdoor location is now being designed and built. For indoor use, however, this system requires a complex inertial guidance system for location and guidance. In this project, inexpensive optical locators will be used to improve indoor wayfinding and supply GPS-like location indoors. Software developed will allow Individualized Guidance for the Blind locators to provide GPS-like locator information indoors and permit the input of location to the personal data assistants (PDA), updating of location and elimination of errors. As a commerical product, application areas will include hospitals, care facilities, museums, malls, schools, retail stores, trade shows, transportation facilities and otherplaces where blind and people with limited vision require navigation assistance.