03-10-2012, 05:36 PM
KIRAN : Helping Cane for the blind people
[attachment=35202]
Abstract:
Due to the increase in the number of
developments in embedded systems they have
been deployed in various applications and span
all aspects of our modern day-to-day life. We
propose a design and implementation of a
“Helping Cane” which uses ultrasonic sensors to
detect obstacles on the way and alert the user
using various levels of buzzer sound. Three
levels of distance are set and buzzer sound is ON
for different time for these three levels. System
will track the location for ease in location of the
blind person in case of emergency. Data from
GPS system at the user end is transmitted to a
microcontroller at receiver side through a
ZigBee chip.
INTRODUCTION
Technology seems to be invading almost every
aspect of our modern day life today but still it
seems to have little impact and applications for
those individuals which needs them the most –
individuals who are dependable due to sensorial
impairments. The importance of sensorial and
communicational functions can be interpreted
from the fact that the human body receives
around 80% information from the outside
environment by sight. The 2011 statistics
conducted by the World Health Organization
(WHO) estimates that there are 285 billion
people in world with visual impairment , 39
billion of which are blind and 246 with low
vision . The traditional mobility aids for persons
with visual impairments are the walking cane
(also called white cane or stick) and guide dogs.
Drawback with these aids is that necessary
skills and training phase is required and very
little information is conveyed. Rapid
advancement in modern technology, both in
hardware and software, has brought potential to
develop navigation aids with intelligence.
RELATED WORK
Visually impaired people face serious difficulty
while walking and navigation. Among the many
challenges faced by the visually challenged persons
are the constraints of independent mobility and
navigation which stem from hazards in an
unfamiliar environment. The white cane is the most
popular navigation aid used by the visually
challenged. It enables them to effectively scan the
area in front and detect obstacles on the ground
such as uneven surfaces, holes, steps, walls etc. Its
low cost, portability and ease of operation make it
an extremely popular navigation aid. White stick is
the most widely used tool used by the blind for
their safe and independent mobility. For outdoor
navigation several systems have been proposed and
are commercially available [3, 4, 5]. These systems
use different technologies to provide common
characteristics of navigation aid. The main
technologies used include GIS, GPS, radar,
ultrasonic, speech and RFID technology. In the
study of [3, 4], they integrated both GIS and GPS
for positioning and tracking and given sound.
L.Ran et al. [4] proposed combination of GIS and
GPS navigation.
FEEDBACK MECHANISM
The information regarding the measured distance
of the detected obstacle is conveyed to the person
using a buzzer. As the person approaches the
obstacle the buzzer ON time increases. Three levels
of distance are set and buzzer sound is ON for
different time for these three levels. First level is
3meter distance for which buzzer will be ON once
so the information to the blind is watch out, second
level is 1.5 meter distance for which buzzer will be
ON 5 sec so the information to the blind is beware,
third level is 0.5 meter distance for which the
buzzer will be continuously ON so the information
to the blind is dangerous.
Zigbee Unit for data transmission
Zigbee was launched by Zigbee alliance which
was founded in August 2001. Zigbee is a wireless
technology which uses a simple data
communication protocol defined by IEEE 802.15.4
standard. There are a multitude of standards like
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi that address mid to high data
rates for voice, PC LANs, video, etc. However, up
till now there hasn't been a wireless network
standard that meets the unique needs of sensors and
control devices. Sensors and controls don't need
high bandwidth but they do need low latency and
very low energy consumption for long battery lives
and for large device arrays. Zigbee module fulfils
the unique needs of low-power, low-cost wireless
networks. It requires minimal power and provides
reliable data transfer between the two end remote
devices. While Bluetooth focuses on connectivity
between large packet user devices, such as laptops.
CONCLUSION
This designed Electronic Travel Aid uses
ultrasonic sensors for obstacle detection. It
provides a low-cost, low-power system for
tracking the current location of the blind person.
The main aim of the device is to provide a safer
and secure navigation system for blind people
and at the same time monitors the location of
the person. Obstacles up to 0.5 meter can be
detected and broad beam angle of ultrasonic
sensors enable wide range environment
recognition.
[attachment=35202]
Abstract:
Due to the increase in the number of
developments in embedded systems they have
been deployed in various applications and span
all aspects of our modern day-to-day life. We
propose a design and implementation of a
“Helping Cane” which uses ultrasonic sensors to
detect obstacles on the way and alert the user
using various levels of buzzer sound. Three
levels of distance are set and buzzer sound is ON
for different time for these three levels. System
will track the location for ease in location of the
blind person in case of emergency. Data from
GPS system at the user end is transmitted to a
microcontroller at receiver side through a
ZigBee chip.
INTRODUCTION
Technology seems to be invading almost every
aspect of our modern day life today but still it
seems to have little impact and applications for
those individuals which needs them the most –
individuals who are dependable due to sensorial
impairments. The importance of sensorial and
communicational functions can be interpreted
from the fact that the human body receives
around 80% information from the outside
environment by sight. The 2011 statistics
conducted by the World Health Organization
(WHO) estimates that there are 285 billion
people in world with visual impairment , 39
billion of which are blind and 246 with low
vision . The traditional mobility aids for persons
with visual impairments are the walking cane
(also called white cane or stick) and guide dogs.
Drawback with these aids is that necessary
skills and training phase is required and very
little information is conveyed. Rapid
advancement in modern technology, both in
hardware and software, has brought potential to
develop navigation aids with intelligence.
RELATED WORK
Visually impaired people face serious difficulty
while walking and navigation. Among the many
challenges faced by the visually challenged persons
are the constraints of independent mobility and
navigation which stem from hazards in an
unfamiliar environment. The white cane is the most
popular navigation aid used by the visually
challenged. It enables them to effectively scan the
area in front and detect obstacles on the ground
such as uneven surfaces, holes, steps, walls etc. Its
low cost, portability and ease of operation make it
an extremely popular navigation aid. White stick is
the most widely used tool used by the blind for
their safe and independent mobility. For outdoor
navigation several systems have been proposed and
are commercially available [3, 4, 5]. These systems
use different technologies to provide common
characteristics of navigation aid. The main
technologies used include GIS, GPS, radar,
ultrasonic, speech and RFID technology. In the
study of [3, 4], they integrated both GIS and GPS
for positioning and tracking and given sound.
L.Ran et al. [4] proposed combination of GIS and
GPS navigation.
FEEDBACK MECHANISM
The information regarding the measured distance
of the detected obstacle is conveyed to the person
using a buzzer. As the person approaches the
obstacle the buzzer ON time increases. Three levels
of distance are set and buzzer sound is ON for
different time for these three levels. First level is
3meter distance for which buzzer will be ON once
so the information to the blind is watch out, second
level is 1.5 meter distance for which buzzer will be
ON 5 sec so the information to the blind is beware,
third level is 0.5 meter distance for which the
buzzer will be continuously ON so the information
to the blind is dangerous.
Zigbee Unit for data transmission
Zigbee was launched by Zigbee alliance which
was founded in August 2001. Zigbee is a wireless
technology which uses a simple data
communication protocol defined by IEEE 802.15.4
standard. There are a multitude of standards like
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi that address mid to high data
rates for voice, PC LANs, video, etc. However, up
till now there hasn't been a wireless network
standard that meets the unique needs of sensors and
control devices. Sensors and controls don't need
high bandwidth but they do need low latency and
very low energy consumption for long battery lives
and for large device arrays. Zigbee module fulfils
the unique needs of low-power, low-cost wireless
networks. It requires minimal power and provides
reliable data transfer between the two end remote
devices. While Bluetooth focuses on connectivity
between large packet user devices, such as laptops.
CONCLUSION
This designed Electronic Travel Aid uses
ultrasonic sensors for obstacle detection. It
provides a low-cost, low-power system for
tracking the current location of the blind person.
The main aim of the device is to provide a safer
and secure navigation system for blind people
and at the same time monitors the location of
the person. Obstacles up to 0.5 meter can be
detected and broad beam angle of ultrasonic
sensors enable wide range environment
recognition.