[Nfbf-l] Autonomous vehicle technology could help blind to navigate.

[Alan Dicey]

Autonomous vehicle technology could help blind to navigate.
Navigation devices used by blind people today lack the ability to operate 
indoors and other areas where GPS is not available, and are unable to help 
the user deal with items that aren't part of maps, such as crowds and cars.
Auburn University is building a prototype device under contract to the 
Federal Highway Administration that can address both problems, combining 
technology that it developed for Department of Transportation with 
technology that Draper Laboratory developed for soldiers and unmanned 
vehicles.

Auburn is building the device to track the movements of the wearer while 
integrating data from GPS satellites, visual information from cameras, and 
wireless information from pedestrian signals in order to enhance safety and 
mobility under a contract awarded in April. The Extended Mobility System 
(EMS) will guide wearers as they travel through unstructured environments 
where GPS navigation is not sufficient, such as transit stations, areas of 
construction, and event arenas.

Auburn and Draper are working with the National Federation of the Blind to 
ensure all of the visually-impaired wearers' needs will be addressed in 
their design. A prototype is expected to be ready in 2015.

"The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to provide input on this 
important project, which has the potential to assist the blind with indoor 
navigation and with travel in other areas where GPS technology is not 
functional or appropriate," said Dr. Marc Maurer, NFB president. "We look 
forward to the results of this exciting collaboration."
In addition to the blind, people with other sensory as well as cognitive 
limitations could also benefit from the EMS device.
Current pedestrian navigation systems often lack detailed enough maps to 
work in environments such as train stations and parking lots, as well as the 
constant updates that would be needed for alternative routes if a sidewalk 
is closed due to construction, for example. Also, many of those devices do 
not work at all inside office buildings, concert halls, and other areas 
where the GPS signal does not reach. The system can work independently from 
GPS signals using built-in cameras, inertial measurement units (IMUs), and 
concepts from advanced robotics and artificial intelligence to ensure 
real-time guidance for the wearer.

The researchers describe an example in which a concert-going wearer uses an 
EMS to successfully navigate through underground subway tunnels using 
information gathered from its cameras and internal map of the train 
station - directing them possibly through tactile directional indicators on 
their belt. The cameras assist them in identifying and following signs 
pointing to the concert arena, and once there, the EMS will wirelessly 
access maps from the arena's marketing department to direct her to her 
ticketed seat.

Current systems also struggle when WiFi signals or pre-mapped landmarks are 
not available, but the EMS devices uses Draper's visual odometry technology 
as "eyes" for the wearer, noting and relaying visual, directional, and 
distance information. Visual odometry interprets video from a pair of 
cameras to map the objects in a given environment and uses Draper's 
algorithms and software to address challenges as complex as a crowd of 
pedestrians moving in a variety of directions. This is accomplished by 
comparing the Inertial Measurement Unit sensor readings with the camera 
information and algorithmically deciding which  is best, for example 
ignoring the camera for short periods when the camera may be blocked or 
confused by moving objects in the scene.

The researchers describe a potential prototype as an ankle bracelet with 
inertial sensors and a small camera placed in a pair of glasses. While an 
earpiece was originally considered, NFB members said that using one could 
obstruct their hearing, which they heavily rely on in the absence of sight, 
according to David Bevly, a professor in Auburn's Department of Mechanical 
Engineering, who leads the university's work on the project. Instead, 
tactile vibrators may provide directional guidance, he said.

Source URL:
http://phys.org/news/2013-09-autonomous-vehicle-technology.html

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