An IMU and RFID-based Navigation System Providing Vibrotactile Feedback for Visually Impaired People
Abstract
This paper presents the DOVI (Device for Orientation of the Visually Impaired) system, a new inertial and RFID-based wearable navigation device for indoor environments providing vibrotactile feedback to visually impaired people for reaching a target place. The DOVI system is based on sensor fusion techniques, allowing a precise and global localization of the pedestrian thanks to inertial measurements from accelerometers and gyroscope and passive RFID tags. The pedestrian is provided a haptic feedback through a vibrotactile bracelet, that can guide him/her through the correct path toward the target. The DOVI system is complementary to both those systems allowing the detection of mobile obstacles along the path and to other aids, such as the white cane or the guide dog.
Keywords
Haptic feedback Pedestrian navigation Sensor fusion Wearable assistive device Visually impairedNotes
Acknowledgment
This work has been partially funded from the EU FP7 project n. 601165 WEARHAP.
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