I-Corps: BlindNav: Indoor Navigation for the Visually Impaired

目前，如果没有视力正常的人的帮助，盲人在新的室内空间中导航的方法很少。该项目提出的技术旨在通过识别环境的语义和显著的视觉特征，使视障人士能够在机场、火车站和购物中心等大型室内环境中找到道路。不需要事先访问或绘制环境地图，也不需要部署或利用任何特殊的基础设施，如WiFi接入点或红外信标。研究人员计划使用公开的建筑布局和有关船只、轨道、大门和其他视觉线索的位置信息。该平台是一个安装在项链上的手机，通过音频语音命令界面提供转弯方向。该技术旨在通过文本和标志检测，基于布局先验知识的定位以及加速度计和视觉里程计的集成来实时处理手机摄像头的视频。美国的盲人和视障人士数量庞大，预计未来还会增长。如果成功实施，这项技术可能会有更广泛的应用，包括许多基于位置的服务，如帮助有空间学习困难的人或引导用户到特定的位置。项目团队拥有以相对较快的速度和经济的成本开发该技术所需的专业知识。

There are currently very few ways for the blind to navigate a new indoor space without the assistance of a fully-sighted person. The technology proposed by this project is designed to enable a visually-impaired individual to find their way through large indoor environments such as airports, train stations and shopping malls by recognizing semantic and salient visual features of the environment. There is no prior visit or mapping of the environment required, and there is no need to deploy or utilize any special infrastructure like WiFi access points or infrared beacons. Researchers plan to use publically available architectural lay-outs and information about the location of ships, tracks, gates and other visual cues. The platform is a cell-phone mounted on a necklace that provides turn-by-turn directions through an audio-voice command interface. This technology is designed to process video from the cell phone camera in real-time using text and logo detection, localization based on prior knowledge of the layout and integration of accelerometer and visual odometry.The blind and visually-impaired population in the United States is large and expected to grow in the future. If successfully implemented, this technology could have broader reaching applications, including many location-based services such as aiding those with spatial learning difficulties or guiding users to a specific location. The project team has the expertise required to develop this technology at a relatively rapid rate and economical cost.