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In order for the visually impaired to walk safely on the street, it is necessary to use a cane to check the road ahead or to receive assistance with a guide dog for the blind. A research team at the University of Georgia in the United States has developed a system that supports the visually impaired with a backpack equipped with AI that attempts to replace a guide dog or cane with the latest technology.
Recently, there is a movement to support the visually impaired using technology. For example, Google is developing Lookout, a smartphone app for the visually impaired that reads nearby objects or text, and Microsoft is also starting to provide a similar app, Seeing AI.
However, the University of Georgia research team believes that such a smartphone app is not enough and that a better support system is needed. Therefore, as a system to support the visually impaired walking outside, we developed a system that supports the visually impaired with a backpack equipped with AI.
The system developed by the research team uses backpacks, waist pouches, and clothes. A camera kit (OAK-D), which can be equipped with spatial recognition AI and obtain depth information, was installed on the waist pouch, and a lightweight computing device and GPS were installed inside the backpack. The pocket and waist pouch also contain a small battery and can be used continuously for 8 hours.
The OAK-D unit runs the Computer Vision Application Kit Toolkit (OpenVINO) development program using the Movidius VPU, an Intel camera device processor. The AI system developed by the research team is trained to recognize recognition maps, cars, bicycles, other pedestrian signs, and tree branches protruding from the road when visible pedestrians walk on the street, and users can hear voice instructions through Bluetooth earphones. have.
The test was actually conducted on a street near Monrovia, California. They read aloud the stop sign ahead and let them know that you are entering a road intersection. By telling the situation around you by voice, the visually impaired can recognize the situation without the help of a cane or guide dog.
In addition, the system warns when it detects an obstacle in front of a pedestrian. If there are bushes protruding from the garden to the road, it will also indicate that there is an obstacle in the head. When you tell the AI to describe by voice, the AI recognizes the situation around you and gives a detailed explanation with a clockwise direction. Related information can be found here.
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