2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
The Wearable Navigation System for the Visually Impaired
| Project/Area Number |
14550399
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
System engineering
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| Research Institution | University of Yamanashi |
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Principal Investigator |
KOTANI Shinji University of Yamanashi, Department of Research Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, Research Associate, 大学院・医学工学総合研究部, 助手 (80242618)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KIYOHIRO Noriaki University of Yamanashi, Department of Research Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, Professor, 大学院・医学工学総合研究部, 教授 (00016586)
WATANABE Yoshimichi University of Yamanashi, Department of Research Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, Associate Professor, 大学院・医学工学総合研究部, 助教授 (00210964)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2002 – 2004
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| Keywords | Visually Impaired / Navigation / Wearable System / Image Processing / Sonar / Map Information System |
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| Research Abstract |
Since 1992, we have been conducted research and development on an autonomous mobile robot, and studied a robot that travels autonomously in an outdoor environment. In 1995, we started the development of the robotic travel aid application to guide visually impaired. The robotic travel aid is a motorized wheel chair equipped with vision, sonar and tactile sensors as well as a map database system.
However, the robot has two weak points, one is that there are many steps in an ordinary outdoor environment and the other is that the change of the environment is dynamic. To overcome their weak points, in 2002, we started the WearAble Navigation System (WANS) Project. The WANS system is a small and light system equipped with image processing computer, vision, sonar, pedometer, and magnetic sensor.
For the changing of the environment, we developed the map management utility based on XML system. In the 1st phase, we used only a magnetic sensor for the detection of the direction. However, a big distortion of the magnetic field happened at a station. So we added an optical fiber gyro sensor to the system. With integrating various sensors data and observing the time changing, we achieved the using of the WANS at the station. Experimental results in an ordinary outdoor environment and at a station showed the effectiveness of our WANS.
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