Augmented Reality for Scene Text Recognition, Visualization and Reading to Assist Visually Impaired People

Abstract

Reading traffic signs while driving a car for visually impaired people and people with visual problems is a very difficult task for them. This task is encountered every day, sometimes incorrect reading of traffic signs can lead to very serious results. In particular, the Arabic language is very difficult, making recognizing and viewing Arabic text a difficult task. In this context, we are looking for an effective solution to remove errors and results that can sometimes end someone's life. This article aims to correctly read traffic signs with Arabic text using augmented reality technology. Our system is composed of three modules. The first is text detection and recognition. The second is Text visualization. The third is Text to speech methods conversion. With this system, the user can have two different results. The first result is visual with much-improved text and enhancement. The second result is sound, he can hear the text aloud. This system is very applicable and effective for daily life. To assess the effectiveness of our work, we offer a survey to a group of visually impaired people to give their opinion on the use of our application. The results have been good for most people.