Dynamic indoor path planning for the visually impaired

Abstract

Independent indoor navigation for the Visually Impaired (VI) is extremely challenging, especially in unfamiliar environments. This paper presents the development process for a navigator system for the VI that plans an optimized path to safely lead them to their desired destination. The first contribution of this research paper is proposing a path planning algorithm, based on the well-known Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) technique. The algorithm computes an optimized route considering the user’s preferences while avoiding collisions with fixed obstacles. The algorithm’s output consists of the moving directions for VI users, which are delivered to them via audio commands to direct their movements. A path following algorithm was also implemented so that the calculated path is dynamically updated whenever the VI diverts from the initially pre-defined path. This functionality utilizes a step and deviation detector that counts and monitors the user’s steps, matching them with the expected path. Finally, a thorough usability evaluation involving both visually impaired and unimpaired users was conducted; the results indicate that the system ultimately achieves its intended goals in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and most importantly, user satisfaction.