1. Blind AidProject Mid-Presentation Sandra Mau, Nik Melchior, Maxim Makatchev

2. Contents • Project overview • What we've learned • Related projects • Website tour

3. Project Overview • Develop an Electronic Travel Aid for the blind • indoor navigation and obstacle avoidance • outdoor navigation and path planning • Range sensors and/or GPS

4. Blind and Vision Rehabilitative Services of Pittsburgh • Interviews with the President and Coordinator of Access Technologies • Further interviews with Orientation and Mobility Instructors tomorrow

5. Blind and Vision Rehabilitative Services of Pittsburgh • Optometrist services • Training facilities including a kitchen • Dormitories • We merited a mention in their monthly newsletter

6. What We Have Learned • 90% of the the blind cannot travel independently • 7% use canes • Trailing: following a fine discrimination such as curb/grass border • 3% use guide dogs • Batteries don't die • Take initiative (intelligent disobedience) • Recognize limited classes of objects • Follow Asimov's Laws

7. Interfaces • Most blind people don't read braille (especially elderly) • Vibration can be useful • Audible is preferred • In general: • Should not chatter too much • User should take initiative • Do not need an inventory of a room • Need a hand free

8. Interesting Problems • Need to know what's nearby without actually passing by everything • Indoor navigation is more important • College campuses and hospitals • Instrumented environments • Hard to sell

9. Interesting Problems • Buses at a bus stop • GPS interface: current location and what's nearby • Where to go and what to do at airports, hotels, convention centers, etc.

10. Related Research • Stated Preferences for Components of a Personal Guidance System for Nonvisual Navigation [Golledge, Marston, Loomis, Klatzky] • Preferred input type for PGS • Voice input was strongest • Braille was surprisingly not very popular • Preferred output type for PGS • Most accepted was a collar-or shoulder-mounted speech sound device • Least accepted was output via headphones over ears • For devices with extra directional cues, speech or tonal sound output was preferred

11. Related Projects • University of Michigan Mobile Robotics Lab GuideCane NavBelt NavChair

12. Related Products • Sound Foresight Ltd • The UltraCane Uses sonar to detect obstacles and conveys this information through vibrating buttons on handle http://www.soundforesight.co.uk/ultracane_demonstrator.htm

13. Related Products • Adaptive Technology Consulting • Many products for the visually impaired: • Braille translation, PDA, mobile phone organizer, screen magnifiers, Internet access with speech, etc. • For navigation: GPS system

14. Related Products • Telesensory • Marco Audible Sensory System • Tech-Link kids (First Lego Robotics) • Pocket-bot

15. To the web...