Development of walking support system for visually impaired people

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K06286
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Intelligent mechanics/Mechanical systems
• Research Institution: Tsuyama National College of Technology
• Principal Investigator: CHO FEIFEI 津山工業高等専門学校, 総合理工学科, 准教授 (20628846)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 薮木 登 津山工業高等専門学校, 総合理工学科, 教授 (50200572) ; 松島 由紀子 津山工業高等専門学校, 総合理工学科, 准教授 (60757615)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 視覚障害 / 歩行訓練 / 押し車型 / 体装着型

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Currently, shortage of trainers for visually impaired people with professional knowledge is a big problem in Japan. In addition, children with congenital blindness are so difficult to learn to walk by themselves, because they can’t get the visual image. In this research, the authors aim to develop a new support device for walking training that can raise for visual impairment and visually impaired children's spatial perception. The method involves three stages of training, hand cart type stage, wearable type stage, final stage. The authors focus on developing a safe, light weight walking support system that can be wear in children’s waist belt at the second and the third stage. In this paper, the authors proposed the wearable type walking support system that consists of infrared sensor and ultra-sonic wave sensor. In addition, the equipment is used at each stage so that it can finally walk independently.

Free Research Field

メカトロニクス，

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で取り込んだ制御機器の開発の成果およびノウハウを全面的に活用できる研究であると考える。画像処理の応用も含み，福祉支援へ画像処理を用いたシステム開発も行った．提案する視覚障害児歩行支援システムの実現により，従来，保護者自身で対応しきれない困難であった分野にも実用の可能性が増えるものと予想される。本研究で開発する技術は，これを母体として，本来の目的の視覚障害児歩行訓練での応用はもとより，彼ら向けの各種遊具など幅広い需要が見込まれ，またそれに付随する開発など新たな事業への発展が予想される。