IOT-Based Navigation for Visually Impaired Using Arduino and Android

Abstract

Like many other projects, ultrasonic sensors have been used in devices that enable a visually impaired person to tackle obstacles. However, little has been done to expand the navigation in a broader context, and to enable the visually impaired person to go about hands-free and connect with the world like normal people do. This paper is derived from the in-depth study of the real-life scenarios and problem faced and proposes an advancement of the existing smart stick technology. The system is designed to act like a navigation guide through voice outputs consisting of ultrasonic sensors, Arduino Uno R3, HC05 Bluetooth module, and an Android application. The Android application is used as a navigation tool to calculate the shortest distance from the source and the location, and the ultrasonic sensors attached to the person’s knees look out for obstacles while the blind person walks as per the directions narrated to him on an earphone, and upon detection of an obstacle, the HC05 triggers a warning and the Android application describes the environment to the person. With this project, we seek to take a step closer in narrowing the gap between blind people and us while keeping it within the reach of even the poorest.