SBIR Phase II: Electronic Orientation and Navigation System for People with Visual Impairments

SBIR 第二阶段：为视力障碍人士提供电子定向和导航系统

• 批准号: 0822972
• 负责人: Michael Manning
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: ManningRF, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-07-01 至 2010-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0822972&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Electronic; Orientation

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II research project will design, build and test a new type of orientation and navigation (O&N) system for people with visual impairments. While GPS-based solutions show promise in outdoor environments, there are currently no widespread O&N devices that are designed for use in indoor environments. This makes it difficult for people with visual impairments to navigate through indoor public spaces. The purpose of this research will be to complete development of a new type of radio frequency identification (RFID) system, in which intelligent, variable-range active RFID beacons are programmed with information about their locations and placed through indoor environments like schools, shopping malls and museums. This information will be accessible to people with visual impairments via a small RFID receiver worn on the user?s belt. Information will be conveyed to the user via a text-to-speech interface. Results from field testing have demonstrated that the device helps people with visual impairments to navigate through an unfamiliar environment. Phase II research will complete development of the communications protocols and interface techniques that give the system its unique capabilities for delivering speech-based information to people with visual impairments.There are 10.4 million people with visual impairments in the U.S., and this research will lead to an inexpensive commercial product that will greatly enhance their ability to navigate in unfamiliar surroundings. The market for this technology includes those who will purchase the RFID receivers and the RFID beacons. This includes people with visual impairments, as well as the owners and tenants of public spaces, such as office buildings, schools, malls, museums and government facilities. Also, because of the simplicity of the interface, the system will be useful to Orientation and Mobility educators working with young children to develop spatial concepts.

这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段的研究项目将设计，建造和测试一种新型的定位和导航（O N）系统的人有视觉障碍。虽然基于GPS的解决方案在室外环境中显示出前景，但目前还没有被设计用于室内环境的广泛的O-N设备。这使得有视觉障碍的人很难在室内公共空间中导航。这项研究的目的是完成一种新型射频识别（RFID）系统的开发，其中智能，可变范围的有源RFID信标被编程为其位置信息，并通过学校，购物中心和博物馆等室内环境放置。这些信息将通过佩戴在用户身上的小型RFID接收器提供给有视觉障碍的人。s皮带。信息将通过文本到语音界面传达给用户。现场测试的结果表明，该设备可以帮助有视觉障碍的人在不熟悉的环境中导航。第二阶段的研究将完成通信协议和接口技术的开发，这些技术使该系统具有独特的能力，能够向视力障碍者提供基于语音的信息。美国有1040万视力障碍者，这项研究将导致一种廉价的商业产品，这将大大提高他们在陌生环境中导航的能力。该技术的市场包括那些将购买RFID接收器和RFID信标的人。这包括视力障碍者，以及办公楼、学校、商场、博物馆和政府设施等公共场所的业主和租户。此外，由于界面的简单性，该系统将是有用的方向和流动教育工作者与幼儿发展空间概念。