Abstract
Objective To develop Smart Shoes with obstacle detection system for visually impaired people. Method The obstacle detection system adopts a triple-axis accelerometer to collect feet’s acceleration data, and uses an ultrasonic sensor to detect obstacles. The system is controlled by STM32L432KC (a microcontroller from STMicroelectronics), and powered by a Lithium-ion battery that can be recharged either by a charger or by walking. A gait events recognition algorithm is proposed to detect the motion state of feet. Obstacles are detected only when users are walking with foot in stance (ST) phase. Moreover if a fall is detected, the Smart Shoes will connect to the cellphone and call the emergency contacts. Results The overall recognition ratio of the gait events was 90.9%, the ratio of walking, jiggling and fall (simulated) were 91%, 88.5% and 100% respectively. The detection resolution of Smart Shoes depends on the ultrasonic sensor. User’s average obstacles detection distance are all above 50 mm, and for each user the detection distance is proportional to the obstacles’ dimension. Conclusion Experimental results indicate that the Smart Shoes performs stably in real-time, and has high detection accuracy with low false-alarm rate.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
World Health Organization. Visual Impairment and Blindness statistics: Fact sheet (282) (2019)
Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Center for Prevention and Control of Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases, National Health and Family Planning Commission Statistical Information Center. Death Cause Surveillance Data Set in China (2014). Popular Science Press, Beijing (2015)
Yang, Y.l., Zhang, H.Y., Liao, T., Ma, Y.X., Han, L.: Visualization analysis on influencing factors of falls in Chinese elderly. Shanghai Nurs. 20(04), 19–24 (2020)
Fang, R.J., Zhu, W.B.: Design of guiding blind cane based on GPS positioning and ultrasonic detection. Comput. Measur. Control 19(05), 1154–1157 (2011)
Rodríguez, A., Yebes, J.J., Alcantarilla, P.F., Bergasa, L.M., Almazán, J., Cela, A.: Assisting the visually impaired: obstacle detection and warning system by acoustic feedback. Sensors 12(12), 17476–17496 (2012)
Zhu, J.H., Hu, J., Zhang, M., Chen, Y.N., Bi, S.: A fog computing model for implementing motion guide to visually impaired. Simul. Model. Pract. Theor. 101 (2020)
Dakopoulos, D., Bourbakis, N.G.: Wearable obstacle avoidance electronic travel aids for blind: a survey. IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern. 40(1), 25–35 (2010)
Yu, J.H., Chung, H.I., Hahn, H.S.: Walking assistance system for sight impaired people based on a multimodal transformation technique. In: Proceedings of ICROS-SICE International Joint Conference, pp. 1639–1643 (2009)
Bertozzi, M., Broggi, M.: GOLD: a parallel real-time stereo vision system for generic obstacle and lane detection. IEEE Trans. Image Proc. 7(1), 62–81 (1998)
ElecFreaks. HC-SR04 datasheet. www.Elecfreaks.com
Antonsson, E.K., Mann, R.W.: The frequency content of gait. J. Biomech. 18(1), 39–47 (1985)
Caldas, R., Mundt, M., et al.: A systematic review of gait analysis methods based on inertial sensors and adaptive algorithms. Gait Postur. 57, 204–210 (2017)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this paper
Cite this paper
Wu, W., Lei, N., Tang, J. (2021). Smart Shoes for Obstacle Detection. In: Liu, Q., Liu, X., Shen, T., Qiu, X. (eds) The 10th International Conference on Computer Engineering and Networks. CENet 2020. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 1274. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8462-6_151
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8462-6_151
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-15-8461-9
Online ISBN: 978-981-15-8462-6
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)