The Wearable Navigation System for the Visually Impaired

自1992年以来，我们一直在进行自主移动的机器人的研究和开发，并研究了在户外环境中自主行驶的机器人。1995年，我们开始开发机器人旅行辅助应用程序，以指导视障人士。机器人助行器是一个装有视觉、声纳和触觉传感器以及地图数据库系统的机动轮椅，但该机器人有两个弱点，一是在普通的户外环境中有很多步骤，二是环境的变化是动态的。为了克服他们的弱点，2002年，我们启动了可穿戴导航系统（WANS）项目。WANS系统是一个小型轻便的系统，配备了图像处理计算机、视觉、声纳、计步器和磁传感器，针对环境的变化，开发了基于XML系统的地图管理工具。在第一阶段，我们只使用了一个磁传感器来检测方向。然而，一个台站的磁场发生了很大的扭曲。因此，我们增加了一个光纤陀螺传感器的系统。通过对各种传感器数据的整合和对时间变化的观测，实现了广域网在车站的应用。实验结果表明，在一个普通的室外环境，并在一个车站，我们的广域网的有效性。

Since 1992, we have been conducted research and development on an autonomous mobile robot, and studied a robot that travels autonomously in an outdoor environment. In 1995, we started the development of the robotic travel aid application to guide visually impaired. The robotic travel aid is a motorized wheel chair equipped with vision, sonar and tactile sensors as well as a map database system.However, the robot has two weak points, one is that there are many steps in an ordinary outdoor environment and the other is that the change of the environment is dynamic. To overcome their weak points, in 2002, we started the WearAble Navigation System (WANS) Project. The WANS system is a small and light system equipped with image processing computer, vision, sonar, pedometer, and magnetic sensor.For the changing of the environment, we developed the map management utility based on XML system. In the 1st phase, we used only a magnetic sensor for the detection of the direction. However, a big distortion of the magnetic field happened at a station. So we added an optical fiber gyro sensor to the system. With integrating various sensors data and observing the time changing, we achieved the using of the WANS at the station. Experimental results in an ordinary outdoor environment and at a station showed the effectiveness of our WANS.