Design and Development of a Prototype Assistive Mobility Solution for the Visually Impaired

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395 -0056
Volume: 04 Issue: 06 | June -2017 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072
© 2017, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 5.181 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 461
Design and Development of a Prototype Assistive Mobility
Solution for the Visually Impaired
Anuraag Daniel Ravi, Rajnish Kumar Pandey, Nayan Kiran Ringane , Ashish Narayan Mahajan
B.E. ,
Department of Computer Science Engineering,
Sinhgad Institute of Technology, Lonavala, Maharashtra
---------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract - In this paper, we have introduced an elaborate
assistivemobilityaidsystemforvisuallyimpairedindividuals.In
this system, a visually impaired individual is aided through a
networked system comprising mainly an android device and
ultrasonicsensors.Thephoneisplacedintheindividual’spocket
andthesensorsarefittedattheindividual’s feetandtemple.The
visually impaired individual, or ‘user’ for further reference, is
guidedthroughtheenvironmentthroughEnglishvoiceguidance
produced by the application as per the current position of the
userandtherelativepositionofobstacles inthelineoftheuser’s
path. The user can navigate around the app using voice
commands. The app is made accessible using aural feedback.
NavigationissupportedusingGPSwithGoogleMaps(GPSisonly
applicable in outdoor navigation). Obstacle detection is done
using ultrasonic sensors, the aggregate results of the readings
are conveyed to the user through aural feedback. Location data
andlocationhistoryisuploadedandsyncedwitharemoteserver
at regular intervals to allow guardians and/or loved ones keep
track of the user’s whereabouts. A panic feature is interposed
among the features which will send an SOS message with last
recorded location attached to an ICE contact and also place a
call to the same.
Key Words: Visual impairment; mobility aid; assistive
technology; location tracking; Android application;
navigation; ultrasonic sensors.
1. INTRODUCTION
According to a global survey report on visual impairment
aroundtheworldby WHOin 2010,therewere estimatedover
285 million visually impaired people in the world. Of the 285
million,13.7%areblindand86.3%ie.246millionpeoplehave
lowvision.Andona furthernote,21.9%oftheworld’svisually
impaired are from India, whereas 26.5% are from China.[1]
Given a look at the numbers, it is clear there is a populace that
canbeservedtofulfila need.Mostoftheimpairedarefoundto
be in developing nations, over a wide range of ages. These
individuals are hindered from a normal life and wages. A
innovative step towards accessibility and portability would
makelifeeasierand,furthermore,alotmoreinteresting.There
havebeenmanyaidsdevelopedwith thisgoalinmind,likethe
smartstick[2] withtransducersandlasersfittedonawhitecane
to identify hinderances and obstacles, and there will
furthermorebemanymoredevelopments inthedaystocome.
But here is our take on the problem. This is a solution for
improvingthemobilityofvisuallyimpairedpersons.Albeitthe
consequent goal is to improve the lives of the blind, for
practical purposes, this system will gratify low vision
individuals more than it would for the total blind.
Thisisasystemwherethevisuallyimpairedusercan
achieve better mobility despite his/her impairment with little
to no help from another person. Mobility is described by
Emerson Foulke as “The ability to travel safely, comfortably,
gracefully,andindependently,referredtohereafterbythesingle
term “mobility,” is a factor of importance in the life of a blind
individual.” [3]
Theterm‘blindness’ isqualitative,anditdescribesthe
clinical condition where the individual has total vision loss:
that is no light perception. It could also describe certain
individuals who have very low to negligible vision. Moreover,
the term ‘visual impairment’ is also a qualitative term used to
describelossofvisionthatisaconsequencetovariousdiseases
that affect parts of the eye at an organ level. ‘Low vision’ is a
description of lesser degree of vision.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Prior to the genesis of this paper, we have studied various
papers, and works of diverse authors, to infer from them,
draw inspiration and purpose to improve our own. Here are
the most influential research papers that we draw our
reference from, presented in Table I..

Table.1:
Sr.
Reference
Paper
Inference Advantages Disadvantages
1
Design and
Developmen
t of a
Prototype
Rehabilitativ
e Shoes and
Spectacles
for the
Blind[4]
This paper
addresses a
prototype, smart
rehabilitative
shoes and
spectacles,
designed and
developed to
facilitate safe
navigation and
mobility of blind
individuals.
Obstacle
Detection,
Vibration
alerts,
Ergonomic
Design
None so far
2
Automated
Mobility and
Orientation
System for
Blind or
Partially
Sighted
People
The traditional
white cane was
fitted with a GSM-
GPS module for
location sensing
and ultrasonic
sensors for
detecting
obstacles.
Obstacle
Detection,
Location
Sensing
Excessive
physical
weight
3
Android
Assistant
EyeMate for
Blind and
Blind
Tracker
[13]
A blind assistive
and tracking
embedded system
is presented. The
blind person is
guided through
Bengali/English
voice commands
generated by the
application
according to the
obstacle position.
GPS and
Navigation,
Voice
Commands,
Voice
initiated
phone call
System fails to
perform in
certain
situations
involving
elevations
Sr.
Reference
Paper
Inference Advantages Disadvantages
4
Smart
Walker
The Smart Walker
is an apparatus
designed to
overcome the
demerits of using
a cane, and at the
same time
monitoring the
health stats of the
user. The entire
system is
interfaced with an
Android device.
Takes care
of balance,
monitor’s
health stats
such as
heart rate
and blood
pressure,
has obstacle
detection
sensors,
results can
be
monitored
on the
android
device
Trouble
concerning
the different
interfaces and
wiring
challenges.
The system is
bulky, it may
increase
mobility along
a linear path,
but would fail
in other
situations.
In 2012, Abu-Faraj et al. presented a paper on a
prototype mobility system which implements ultrasonic
sensors and vibrating motors mounted on shoes and
spectacles[4]. We chose this paper as the foundation of our
work.
In 2013, Abdel Ilah Nour Alshbatat, from Jordan, decided to
improveuponthetraditionalwhitecanebyaffixingaGPS-GSM
module to it. The module would help in locating the blind
individual[5].
Md. Siddiqur Rahman Tanveer, in 2015, designed an
impressive all roundsystemwhichaidstheblindindividualin
navigating around the city[6].
Greg Olmschenk et al. developed a crowd assisted navigation
system where the blind individual is guided by an online
community[7]. The system is implemented as an mobile
application, which is brilliant, as in today’s world mobile
phones are becoming more smart and ubiquitous day by day.

TABLE 2
Sr. Feature Description
1 Obstacle detection
Detect nearby obstacles that are
ahead, at head level, and at ground
level and indicate their
approximate locations and
distances without causing sensory
overload.
2
Warn of impending
Obstacles
Reliably locate and warn of
impending potholes, low obstacles,
step-downs and step-ups.
3
Guidance around
obstacles
Guide the traveler around
impending obstacles.
4
Ergonomically
designed
Offer voice and/or tactile feedback
of traveler’s present location.
Capable of voice input operation
and/or have tactually distinct push
buttons.
5 Wayfinding
Able to monitor the traveler’s
present location and indicate the
direction toward the destination.
6 Route recall
Be able to remember a previous
route and warn of changes in the
environment due to construction or
other blockages.
7
Operational
flexibility
Reliably function in a variety of
settings, that is, outdoors, indoors,
stairways, elevators, and cluttered
open spaces.
8 User friendliness
Be portable, rugged, fail-safe, and
affordable for a blind user.
9 Cosmesis
Be perceived by potential users as
cosmetically acceptable and
comfortable to use in terms of size,
styling, obtrusiveness, and
attractiveness.
10 Good battery life
Have rechargeable batteries that
can last for at least 6 h per charge.
Forsystemdesignandergonomics weperuseSzteo’sresearch
in REHABILITATION ENGINEERING and ASSISTIVE
TECHNOLOGY from 2012 who emphasises that despite all
technological implements can make accomplishing tasks
easier,technologyalonecannotmitigateall thedifficultiesthat
accompanya disability;andthatthetechnologyaffects people
withthesamedisabilityindifferentwayssincetheattentionto
process information they receivereal-time requirethought to
makesounddecisions[7].Szetoalsodescribesanidealmobility
method in a another selection[8]; which is adapted and
presented in Table 2.
Furthermore, for more insight into some impressive adaptive
technologies developed so far for the blind, Velázquez,
compiled his research in these technologies in 2010; We see
work done on devices that can be mounted on the head, feet,
fingertips, belt, etc[9].
Another mobility system we encountered was the Smart
Walker: a visually impaired individual can utilize the
contraptionandmovearoundinacontrolleddomain,suchasa
house; the user is likewise equipped for being monitored
remotely for a sense of safety and security as somebody is
always there to respond to need[10].
Avoiceacknowledgmentsecurityprocessisutilizedbyateam
in their work for the visually impaired clients[11]. Unique
characteristicsamplesoftheclientsvoiceareisolatedandused
forcomparisonatauthenticationtime;italsousesGoogleMaps
API to guide the user in mobility.
Regarding the safety of the individual we read the work of
YarrabothuetThota[12],althoughtheirsystemisSMSbased,we
consider the idea of transmitting location history at regular
intervals as they did, but to an online server instead.
TTS(TexttoSpeech) isutilizedasapartofframework
to provide navigation through voice to the visually impaired
person and it makes use of Google Maps to utilize its rich map
data.
3. MOTIVATION
Ourparamountobjectivethroughoutthisventurewas
the drive to fabricate something that helped the outwardly
weakenedpopulaceofthis developingnation,consideringthe
large numbers thereof[1], by consolidating ubiquitous
technological innovations into their lives. We needed to
actualize an answer to this need keeping in mind the end goal
to make it moderate and efficient for the overall visually
impairedpopulation.Thepossibilityofasimpleshoebecoming
smart ignited in our brains after we saw the recent ascent in
ubiquitous wearable devices. That in conjuncture with the
expanding accessibility and reach of the Internet and
commoditysmartphones,persuadedusthatwecouldactually,
join handhelds, wearables and the Internet to fabricate a
framework that can at the very least improve the lives of
individualstoexploretheworldaroundthemina viableroute
without hindering their present way of life. Furthermore, we
needed this framework to have features that would allow the
visually impaired individual's beloved ones to monitor

him/her remotely. We started out with the following
intentions for our goal:
• Useinformation given by sensors in the wearables to
cautiontheindividualaboutanyobstaclesoncurrent
heading.
• ConnectthewearabletoanAndroiddevicewirelessly
using Bluetooth, so that the said Android device may
process the information collected by sensors.
• Design an arrangement which wouldn't hinder the
individual from his regular life.
• Make the arrangement economical.
• Build-onandovercomeanyshortcomingsofprevious
works.
4. PROPOSED SYSTEM DESIGN
A. HARDWARE DESIGN
The shoes are mounted with ultrasonic sensors. Sensors are
place on the medial, central, and lateral aspects of the front
of the shoe. Sensors are also placed at the temple by
mounting it on spectacles. These sensors can detect
obstacles situated at different levels.
The sensors are connected to an Arduino board
which also includes a Bluetooth module connected to it. The
Bluetooth module is used to interface and send messages to
the android phone wherein the app, to guide the user, is
installed.
Theboardismountedwithultrasonicsensorstofindobstacles
in the path of the visually impaired individual.
To recognize the position and vicinity of the visually
impaired individual, and for navigation, we depend on Global
Positioning System (GPS). The application proposed in this
paper utilizes TTS and Google Maps API so as to furnish
routing with voice guidance. This recommended framework
utilizes a smartphone which is ubiquitous, and is genuinely
modest and gives a simpler versatility.
Thehardwaretobeusedistobedesignedtobeergonomicand
minimal. It is desired to have something lightweight and
sturdy. We need it to be portable.
B. ANDROID APP DESIGN
The android app is installed on the user’s phone. And it is
required to have the following design specifications and
features:
1. Design Specifications:
i. Single tap to speak selection
ii. Double tap to confirm selection
iii.High Contrast UI
iv.Colour-blind friendly
v. Differentiable and clear font
vi.Large font
2. Features:
i. Feedback when obstacle is detected
ii. GPS
iii.Live tracking
iv.Voice input and output
v. Call a cab/driver button
vi.Emergency call/SMS button
C. REMOTE SERVER AND DATABASE
We need a server to store the location of the visually impaired
individual into a remote database. The latitude and longitude,
essentially the coordinates, along with timestamps.
This is essential for the guardians to retrievethis information.
Weneedtoimplementa remoteservertoestablishconnection
withtheremotedatabase.Thedatabasewouldbeusedtohold
coordinates data received from the visually impaired person.
The server needs to be actively running to provide round the
clock service. This server is also an essential part to this
system. The interaction between the said remote server and
android phone application can be done using JSON, a
lightweight data-interchange format.
D. GUARDIAN ANDROID APP/WEB PORTAL FOR
MONITORING
A web interface or Android app will be used to pass
queries to the database to send requests for current location
and location history of the blind individual. It will retrieve the
specific results. The web

interface will be used to display the results retrieved from the
database, and display them as required on a Google Maps
outline.
Fig - 1: Architecture of proposed system
5. TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION
The proposed framework has hardware sensors, an Android
phone, GPS and an online framework fit together for helping
the visually impaired individual in the following ways:
A. OBSTACLEDETECTION
Thefunctionofdetectingobstaclesalongthepathisto
be done by ultrasonic sensors. The working of ultrasonic
sensorsistrulysimpleyetbrilliant.Thesensorcompromisesof
a transmitter and receiver; the transmitter sends off pulses of
ultrasonic sound, and the receiver picks up reflections. The
time interval is measured and the distance is determined.
These sensors are connected to a Arduino Uno board.
In the model, we use bluetooth as a means to send data
about the detected obstacle along the path to the android
device.A bluetooth module, HC-05, is mounted to the board to
transmit data readings of obstacle location to the android
application
B. NAVIGATION USINGANDROID PHONE
An android phone is one of the most ubiquitous
technology available today. It has most commonly required
sensors, pre-installed from the manufacturer, such as GPS.
The android phone will have installed onto it the
guidance application for the visually impaired individual. The
app is interfaced with the hardware module using Bluetooth.
It receives the obstacle position data from the Arduino board
and also provide navigation.
The phone will receive commands from the visually
impaired person through voice commands.
C. TRACKINGANDVISUALLY IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS
A web interface or android app will be used by the
guardiantofindthelocationhistoryandcurrentlocationofthe
visually impaired individual. Server and android application
interaction will be done.
We postulated multipleultrasonicsensors,a feware
mounted on each foot and one is mounted at the forehead,
on a pair of spectacles. The sensors mounted on the shoes
identify obstacles in the left, in the right, andthoseinfront of
the visually impaired individual and the sensor mounted on
the temple attempts to detect obstacles at the head level. An
ultrasonic sensor can also be mounted near the belt, to
detect various gradients. With an intent toalarmthevisually
impaired individual about the position of an incoming
obstacle, the phone is utilizedtosendaural feedback orvoice
feedback to the user alarming him or her of the obstacle
ahead. Furthermore, these are associated with an Arduino
board. In this framework a Bluetooth module HC-05 is
utilized to send the information about the area of

distinguished question the android application. The
Bluetooth module is extremely shoddy, yet simple to
interface with the micro-controller and android phone. So
we utilized this module to provide communication between
the equipment module and the android application.
We executed both, in light of the fact that when the
visually impaired individual strolls under the open sky then
GPS satellites give a rather precise result however GPS will
be weakened by the tall structures, trees and within the
building and the underground. So henceGPScan'tbeutilized
constantly, and the network supplier is to be utilized when
GPS supplier is inaccessible.
Since visually impaired individual does not think much about
the android interface, we have built up our application in a
manner that the visually impaired individual can control the
applicationincludingbutnotlimitedtoutilizinghis/hervoice.
In the design of the framework, the visually impaired
individual does not have to touch the telephone to give voice
commands - he/she simply needs to press the headset catch
and can give the voice order effortlessly.
The app is meant to track the current location and
whereabouts of the individual. The app allows us to receive
the coordinates of the present area of the visually impaired
individual from the server. And thus export these
coordinates to discover the visually impaired person’s
position in Google Maps. Along these lines we can, without
much of a stretch, find the visually impairedindividual inthe
event that he/she is lost and safeguard him/her quickly
6. FUTURE SCOPE
The system is made to better the mobility of a visually
impaired individual. In the future scope of this system,
navigation could be supported using GPS with Google Maps
and also with Crowd Assistance. Crowd assistance is made
possible using a camera phone and volunteers over the world
who would help the user navigate in scenarios where the
computational devicesfail.Althoughitissubjecttoavailability,
volunteers can access the video stream which is live-casted
from the user's camera phone and offer guidance though pre-
recordedaural(andvisual cluesforlowvisionusers)orsimply
through a phone call.
Furthermore, voice recognition, which is a way for
identifying, understanding and processing voice signals into
information or data, can also be explored. There are a diverse
variety of validation components which we have accessibleto
us today which can be implemented, if required, to provide a
level of voice identification, security, and personalization.
7. CONCLUSION
We began with the goal to create a aid which would enable
visually impaired persons to move more conveniently and
navigate to places they desired. The final product of our
work is a device capable of guiding the visually impaired
along a route and also features a designintegratingthesetup
with the Internet. This enables guardians to monitor the
impaired individual online. The framework has been tried
through a few experiments.Thisassistivegadgetpoweredby
an android device is significantly valuable to a visually
impaired individual to move withouttheassistanceofothers
and can look for help in a crisis throughanemergencyphone
call. The application also keeps a record of location history
on an online server which is accessible through an
application on the guardian’s phone.
REFERENCES
[1] World Health Organization, “Visual impairment and
blindness,”
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en
/
[2] Faria, J., Lopes, S., Fernandes, H., Martins,P.,&Barroso,J.
“Electronic white cane for blind people navigation
assistance,” In World Automation Congress(WAC)IEEE,
pp. 1-7, 2010.
[3] E. Foulke, “The perceptual basis for mobility,” AFP
Research Bulletin, Vol. 23, pp. 1-8, 1971.
[4] Ziad O. Abu-Faraj, Paul Ibrahim, Elie Jabbour, Anthony
Ghaoui, “Design and Development of a Prototype
Rehabilitative Shoe and Spectacles for the Blind,” 2012
5th International Conference onBiomedical Engineering
and Informatics (BMEI 2012).
[5] Abdel Ilah Nour Alshbata, “Automated Mobility and
Orientation System for Blind or Partially Sighted People,”
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL on SMART SENSING and
INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS VOL. 6, NO. 2, APRIL 2013.
[6] Greg Olmschenk, Christopher Yang, Zhigang Zhu,
Hanghang Tong, William H. Seiple, “Mobile Crowd
Assisted Navigation for the Visually Impaired,” UIC-ATC-
ScalCom-CBD-IoP 2015.
[7] Andrew Y. J. Szeto, Assistive Technology and
Rehabilitative Engineering. Chapter 5in:JohnEnderle&
Joseph Bronzino, “Introduction to Biomedical
Engineering,” 2011.
[8] Andrew Y. J. Szeto, Blind And Visually Impaired,
Assistive Technology For. Chapter in: John G. Webster,
“Encyclopedia of Medical Devices and Instrumentation,”
2006.
[9] R. Velázquez, Wearable Assistive Devices for the Blind.
Chapter 17 in A. Lay-Ekuakille & S.C. Mukhopadhyay
(Eds.), “Wearable and Autonomous Biomedical Devices
and Systems for Smart Environment: Issues and
Characterization,” LNEE 75,Springer,pp331-349,2010.
[10] Gaby Abou Haidar, Richard Maalouf, Batoul Mchiek,
Houssein Allam, Abdul Rahim Moussa, “SMART
WALKER,” 2014 International Conference on Future
Internet of Things and Cloud.
[11] Nandish M. S. , Mr. Chetan Balaji , Prof. Shantala C P. “An
Outdoor Navigation With Voice Recognition Security
Application For Visually Impaired People,” International
Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT),
V10(10),500-504 April 2014. ISSN:2231-5381.
[12] Ravi Sekhar Yarrabothu,Bramarambika Thota, “Abhaya:
An Android App for the Safety of Women,” IEEE Indicon
2015 1570191849.

[13] Md. Siddiqur Rahman Tanveer, M.M.A. Hashem and Md.
Kowsar Hossain, “Android Assistant EyeMate for Blind
and Blind Tracker,” 18th International Conference on
Computer Technology (ICCIT), 21-23 December

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