“Smart” Footwear for the Visually-Impaired People Based on Arduino Platform and Ultrasonic Sensors

Abstract

The recent innovation in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can help and assist the visually-impaired people. A simple and effective way for these people to move is to use “smart” footwear equipped with sensors for measuring distance, temperature, position, in order to inform the person about possible dangers. This paper presents “smart” footwear, which can help visually-impaired persons to self-navigate by warning them through vibrations of the occurrence of an obstacle at the level of the foot. Also, these “smart” footwear offer the possibility of tracking these persons by viewing their location on the map, in real-time, using the Global Positioning System (GPS). The “smart” footwear can prove very useful in case of emergencies or in unpredictable situations that may occur during daily activity. The GPS can even offer suggestions to the visually-impaired persons of the closest locations such as supermarkets, hospitals, institutions, etc. We used an android application connected to “smart” shoes, which provide a vibrating and hearing sensation to the visually-impaired person and will inform about the potential obstacles.