Navigation Aids Research Articles

Ultrasonic Spectacles for Blind Person

The ultrasonic spatial code line for blind people using Node MCU, web camera, ultrasonic sensor, and output of speaker is an innovative system designed to aid visually impaired individuals in navigating their environment independently and safely. The system works by using a combination of hardware components and software algorithms to provide real-time spatial feedback to the user. The system consists of a Node MCU microcontroller, which acts as the central processing unit and controls the flow of data between the various components. A web camera is used to capture a live video feed of the user's surroundings, which is then processed using image recognition algorithms to identify and locate obstacles in the environment. An ultrasonic sensor is used to measure the distance between the user and any obstacles detected in the video feed. This information is then used to generate a tactile feedback map that is transmitted to the user via a speaker output. The tactile feedback map consists of a series of vibrations that correspond to the location and distance of the obstacles in the user's environment. The ultrasonic spatial code line is a critical need for blind individuals who struggle with navigating their environment independently. The system provides a practical solution that can help improve their quality of life by enabling them to move around more safely and confidently. Additionally, the system is relatively low-cost and easy to implement, making it accessible to a broader range of individuals. Key Word: Electronic Travel Aid – Visual Impairment- Machine learning – Navigation Aid - Mobility – Ultrasonic spectacles – Blind navigation;

Analysis of the Tower of Hercules, the World’s Oldest Extant Lighthouse

The Tower of Hercules is an icon of the city where it is located, A Coruña, and it is supposed to be the world’s only surviving Roman lighthouse. Its function continues today: it provided a warning to shipping in antiquity and continues to do so now, in the 21st century. Furthermore, it is a paradigmatic case of architectural intervention in an ancient monument: in the 18th century, the Spanish engineer Eustaquio Giannini restored the tower, applying scientific criteria and maintaining the authenticity of the monument. For all these reasons, the Tower of Hercules is an exceptional benchmark through which the development and evolution of the different signaling and navigation aid systems can be studied from the beginning of our era to the present day.

Increased Reliability in Medial Canthal Tendon Reposition in Nasoorbitoethmoidal Fractures with Computer-assisted Surgery and Surgical Navigation

Summary: Avulsion of the medial canthal tendon secondary to nasoorbitoethmoidal fractures leads to severe aesthetic and functional impairments. The tendon should be repositioned at the posterior lacrimal crest. Owing to the complexity of nasoorbitoethmoidal fractures, accurate location of this point during surgery can be challenging. With the aid of computer-assisted planning and surgical navigation, the point at which the medial canthal tendon should be repositioned can be easily and precisely located. We have developed an innovative navigation-assisted technique that increases the reliability and safety of internal canthus repositioning. We performed a case series of three consecutive patients who underwent medial canthal tendon repositioning using computer-assisted planning and surgical navigation. We believe that this innovation provides a new and useful application of computer-assisted planning and surgical navigation in craniomaxillofacial surgery.

Hygienic Studies of Electromagnetic Fields in the Work Environment during Operation of Ground-Based Radio Navigation and Aircraft Landing

Introduction: The development of navigation support for flights takes place in an environment of constantly increasing intensity of aeronautics, stricter requirements for accuracy, volume, and reliability of navigation information, efficiency of its processing. Radio navigation aids are improving, thus necessitating assessment of the electromagnetic situation at the workplaces of the personnel servicing modern equipment. Objective: To study and assess electromagnetic fields in the work environment of personnel engaged in the maintenance and operation of modern means of radio navigation and aircraft landing. Materials and methods: The research was carried out at three civil aviation facilities (two airports and an airfield) in 2021–2022. We established the composition, technical characteristics of the equipment, its operating modes, and parameters of radio frequency signals and measured the levels of electromagnetic fields at workplaces using the P3–42 electromagnetic radiation level meter. Results: The personnel are exposed to multi-frequency modulated electromagnetic fields of varying intensity. During the operation of glide and course radio beacons, radio transmitting devices at the dispatchers’ workplaces, levels of energy flux density and electric field strength exceeding hygienic standards are not created. In the premises of the hardware remote and near drive beacons, during the operation of the drive automatic radio station, an excess of the hygienic standards for the intensity of the electric field of the medium-wave range established for an 8-hour working day was registered; in the territory, the radiation from the antennas did not exceed the maximum permissible levels. Conclusions: The professional activity of the personnel servicing modern means of radio navigation and aircraft landing is carried out in a complex electromagnetic environment. A specific feature of working conditions is the effect on the body of multi-frequency, modulated electromagnetic fields of varying intensity and duration of exposure. These characteristics of radio frequency signals are essential adverse parameters that affect the formation of body responses. When choosing devices measuring the levels of electromagnetic fields, it is necessary to take into account the modulation parameters of radio frequency signals.

NAVIGATIONAL SAFETY OF INLAND WATERWAY TRANSPORT SYSTEM (IWTS) IN SARAWAK: RAJANG RIVER

Inland water transportation is regarded as one of the most effective ways for humanity to reduce its carbon footprint. The Sarawak Inland Water Transport System (IWTS) has become an essential tool for its residents due to its geographical location. They have access to basic facilities along the rivers’ tributaries through their water transportation. Currently, undeveloped IWTS in the Rajang River has become a navigation safety issue depending on the type of vessel, with insufficient navigational aid installed in certain areas. The nature of the inadequacy of navigation safety can be daunting as it can lead to loss of life, damage to the environment, disruption of operations, injuries, and a long-term environmental impact, often causing severe consequences. This study assessed navigational safety on the Rajang River and recommended appropriate improvements based on the most recent specification requirements of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) (IALA, 2009). The 3D area simulation of navigation marks will be developed using Sketch-Up Software based on satellite image data. The data was then analysed using Risk Assessment (Fuzzy-AHP technique) to propose the most appropriate aids for navigation and their placement. The proposal and design of aids in navigation for Tanjung Rajang River will increase safety and security for the shipping industry, increase turnaround time, and help maintain a zeroaccident rate.

Realtime Object Detection and Disease Prediction of Visually Impaired People

In order to detect objects, this research combines real-time object identification with appropriate deep learning techniques. In our study, we describe the creation of a real-time system for item recognition, classification, and position estimation in the open environment. Blind and visually impaired people daily deal with a variety of difficulties. The proposed plan's goal. Computer vision is used to precisely identify indoor items. Those who are blind or visually challenged can use navigational aids, The Technology for navigation of the blind is not sufficiently accessible, without vision it can be challenging for visually impaired persons to navigate through rooms or different road paths .The main aim to develop the project is to help the visually impaired people and to detect the obstacles .The blind persons life become easier and without anyone helps they can walk alone through street they does not need anyone to assist them they can handle their self correctly. The preventing users from dangerous location our aim is to collected from environment (cameras, sensors, scanners, etc.) and transmitted to the users to the audio format. Data in the healthcare industry consists of all the information related to patients. Herea general architecture has been proposed for predicting the disease in the healthcare industry

Grid-Based Low Computation Image Processing Algorithm of Maritime Object Detection for Navigation Aids

Several cameras are mounted on navigation aid buoys and these cameras can be used for accident prevention systems by processing the images captured. The currently existing image processing algorithms were originally designed for accident prevention on land—for example, CCTV (closed-circuit television)—which are performance oriented. However, when it comes to ocean-based images, navigation aids are usually located at sea and the cameras must be battery operated, and consequently, the energy efficiency of image processing is a major concern. Therefore, this paper proposed a novel approach to the detection of images in an ocean environment with a significantly lower computation. The new algorithm clustered pixels to grids and dealt with grids using greyscale rather than the particular color values of each pixel. Simulation-based experiments demonstrated that the grid-based algorithm provided five-times faster image processing in order to detect an object and achieved an up to 2.5 higher detection rate when compared with existing algorithms using ocean images.

Utility of C arm aided, CT guided, and O arm navigation aids to surgically manage cases of spinal osteoblastoma over a decade

BackgroundSpinal osteoblastoma needs surgical intervention, and over a decade with advancing technologies, different radiological aids have been utilized in the form of CT scan, fluoroscopy and O arm, but no study has compared its efficacy and outcomes. Here, in this case report of three cases, we have compared the intra- and post-operative course and effectiveness of three radiological modalities.Case presentationWe reviewed three surgically treated cases of spinal osteoblastoma with aid of different generation radiological modalities like C arm, CT scan and O arm navigation treated over a span of more than 10 years in single institute by same surgeon. These 3 cases were assessed and compared in terms of intraoperative parameters (image acquisition type, image display, scan time, bone image quality, real-time imaging, radiation exposure, surgical time, blood loss, complications and others) and post-operative parameters (recovery, recurrence and follow-up). First case managed with aid of C arm showed fluoroscopically acquired two-dimensional images, poor bone image quality; higher scan time-surgical time and blood loss with higher radiation exposure and no real-time imaging. Second case managed with aid of CT scan provided three-dimensional images, better bone image quality; lower surgical time and blood loss but increased transport time with minimum radiological exposure to surgeon and OT personnel with no real-time imaging. Third case managed with O arm navigation provided 3-dimensional images, best bone image quality; less surgical time and blood loss with minimum radiological exposure to surgeon and OT personnel with real-time imaging. Additionally, O arm navigation improved accuracy of tumor localization and intraoperative confirmation of complete tumor excision. Whereas all three cases showed no clinico-radiological signs of recurrence on subsequent follow-ups.ConclusionO arm navigation in terms of best bone image quality, accuracy, intraoperative confirmation of tumor excision, surgical time, blood loss and post-operative recovery makes it superior to others.

A reflective design case of practical micro‐ethics in learning analytics

AbstractA burgeoning literature, policy landscape, and set of practice resources and guidelines have emerged around ethical educational technology development and implementation, particularly in the context of data or artificial intelligence informed tools. However, while these resources provide valuable tools to support navigation of the ethical landscape, they suffer from some limitations. These include a focus on coarse‐grained, clear cut cases; a lack of attention to dilemmas and tensions; and a potential focus on procedural aspects of ethics, rather than our moment‐to‐moment ethics‐in‐action. This paper provides a case study description, using a reflective design case to provide a more textured micro‐ethics. The case approach, its exemplification as a tool for micro‐ethics, and the features of interest in our particular case each provide valuable tools for the educational technology community. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Ethical concerns are central to the design, development and implementation of educational technologies (edtech). A range of guidelines, policies and law exist, providing principles that guide edtech research and use. However existing resources tend to reflect coarse procedural aspects of ethics, providing a navigation aid, but not a defined path, in ethical edtech practice. What this paper adds This paper provides a novel method—a reflective design case—for describing and exploring micro‐ethics in edtech. Through applying this method, we demonstrate that micro‐ethical analyses of ‘ethics‐in‐action’ help to uncover the nuanced decisions we make in ethical conduct. This exemplification provides insight into a specific body of work on writing analytics, of relevance to the field. Implications for practice and/or policy Policy and guidance for ethical conduct should make use of cases that demonstrate how such ethical materials are drawn on in ethical conduct, and as demonstrations of micro‐ethics in action. Practitioners—those who design, develop, and implement edtech—may use the method developed to explore and share their own cases to support their work. Practitioners—those who design, develop, and implement edtech—may draw on shared reflective design cases in learning regarding navigating application of procedural ethics and developing ethics‐in‐action.

Patient Specific Implants for Orbital Reconstruction in the Treatment of Silent Sinus Syndrome: Two Case Reports.

Silent sinus syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by ipsilateral enophthalmos and hypoglobus following a collapse of the orbital floor, in the presence of asymptomatic long-term maxillary sinusitis. It results in enophthalmos, hypoglobus and deepening of the superior palpebral sulcus. A standardized treatment protocol for this infrequent syndrome has not yet been established. The management includes restoration of maxillary sinus ventilation with functional endoscopic sinus surgery and orbital reconstruction, either concurrently or separately. In this paper, the authors presented two patients successfully treated with patient-specific implants, and intraoperative navigation. These cases highlight the benefit of computer-assisted planning and titanium patient-specific implants in the management of silent sinus syndrome. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that described the use of PSI with titanium spacers performed with the aid of intraoperative navigation for SSS treatment. Advantages, drawbacks of this technique and treatment alternatives currently available in the literature were also discussed.

Component Rotation in Well-Functioning, Gap Balanced Total Knee Arthroplasty Without Navigation

BackgroundMalalignment of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) components is a potential cause of clinical failure following TKA. Since the goal of a gap balancing (GB) technique is equal flexion and extension gaps secondary to soft-tissue balancing, and not necessarily component alignment, variation in component placement may exist. Our purpose was (1) to evaluate precision of component alignment in well-functioning GB TKAs performed without the aid of navigation using computed tomographic evaluation and (2) to determine any relationship between femoral version and/or tibial torsion and TKA component positioning. MethodsThere were 93 well-functioning TKAs performed with an extension gap first GB technique with a minimum 2-year follow-up evaluated using computed tomography to assess component rotational alignment, as well as osseous femoral version and tibial torsion. Femoral and tibial rotational alignment was assessed by previously described methods. ResultsThe mean Knee Society Score was 185.7 ± 21.7. The mean range of motion was 128.5 ± 7.8°. Femoral posterocondylar axis (relative to the transepicondylar axis) values ranged from −8.3 to 4.1° with a mean of −0.78 ± 2.7° (internal rotation). Mean tibial rotation was 17.2 ± 7.9° internal rotation relative to the tibial tubercle. No correlation was found between native femoral version and femoral component rotational alignment (Pearson’s correlation coefficient, r, 0.007). Weak correlation was found between native tibial torsion and tibial component alignment (r = 0.24). ConclusionDespite being only a secondary objective with the GB technique, most components evaluated were within the desired range of rotation. Alignment was not influenced by native osseous rotational geometry. Level of EvidenceLevel III, Retrospective Cohort Study.

Investigating the effect of network latency on users’ performance in Collaborative Virtual Environments using navigation aids

Serious games play a pivotal role in engaging users in activities which are considered less-engaging but healthy. Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs), one of the enablers of serious games are used in various fields including education, healthcare, tele-conferencing and assembly tasks. There are different factors that affect user performance in CVE. These factors include network latency, loose coordination, lack of task distributions strategy and lack of awareness. As compared to other factors,network latency has unfortunately got less attention of the researcher and therefore, it sometimes becomes a bottleneck for the user performance in CVE. In this paper, we analyzed the effect of network latency on user performance in CVE with textual, audio, 3D Map-Liner (3DML) and arrows-casting aids on different participants. Based on task distribution model, a simulated environment for collaborative assembly task was developed to conduct the experiments. The experiments were performed on users with textual, audio, 3DML and arrows-casting aids with five level of latency (i.e. 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 ms) to evaluate 19 groups(two participants per group) to check their performance in terms of network latency. Overall, results showed that the user’s performance was better in arrows-casting based navigation as compared to other navigation aids (i.e textual, audio and 3DML) using five level of latency (i.e 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 ms). Whenever the value of latency was increased the task completion time increased significantly with slight decrease in errors rate.

Detection of AIS messages falsifications and spoofing by checking messages compliance with TDMA protocol

Automatic identification system is a navigation aid system that allows vessels to exchange automatically positions, identity and other information. It improves the safety of the maritime traffic and helps to monitor it. However, this system can be manipulated to send falsified information and to mask illicit activities. While previous research has proposed strategies to detect these threats, none of them suggest a solution that considers the time-division multiple access (TDMA) communication protocol. In this work, the compliance of the sent messages with this protocol, specified by the system's standard, is checked for every ship to detect message falsifications. Furthermore, because the ships velocity affects TDMA protocol, a strategy based a Kalman filter is applied to track every ship and to assess the consistency of their velocity data sent. The proposed strategy was validated on real data and showed very promising results. Being computationally cheap, the method can be run in real time. Source codes of the method are open-source to foster research activities from both industry and academia in this field.

A Smart Service System for Spatial Intelligence and Onboard Navigation for Individuals with Visual Impairment (VIS4ION Thailand): study protocol of a randomized controlled trial of visually impaired students at the Ratchasuda College, Thailand

BackgroundBlind/low vision (BLV) severely limits information about our three-dimensional world, leading to poor spatial cognition and impaired navigation. BLV engenders mobility losses, debility, illness, and premature mortality. These mobility losses have been associated with unemployment and severe compromises in quality of life. VI not only eviscerates mobility and safety but also, creates barriers to inclusive higher education. Although true in almost every high-income country, these startling facts are even more severe in low- and middle-income countries, such as Thailand. We aim to use VIS4ION (Visually Impaired Smart Service System for Spatial Intelligence and Onboard Navigation), an advanced wearable technology, to enable real-time access to microservices, providing a potential solution to close this gap and deliver consistent and reliable access to critical spatial information needed for mobility and orientation during navigation.MethodsWe are leveraging 3D reconstruction and semantic segmentation techniques to create a digital twin of the campus that houses Mahidol University’s disability college. We will do cross-over randomization, and two groups of randomized VI students will deploy this augmented platform in two phases: a passive phase, during which the wearable will only record location, and an active phase, in which end users receive orientation cueing during location recording. A group will perform the active phase first, then the passive, and the other group will experiment reciprocally. We will assess for acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility, focusing on experiences with VIS4ION. In addition, we will test another cohort of students for navigational, health, and well-being improvements, comparing weeks 1 to 4. We will also conduct a process evaluation according to the Saunders Framework. Finally, we will extend our computer vision and digital twinning technique to a 12-block spatial grid in Bangkok, providing aid in a more complex environment.DiscussionAlthough electronic navigation aids seem like an attractive solution, there are several barriers to their use; chief among them is their dependence on either environmental (sensor-based) infrastructure or WiFi/cell “connectivity” infrastructure or both. These barriers limit their widespread adoption, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries. Here we propose a navigation solution that operates independently of both environmental and Wi-Fi/cell infrastructure. We predict the proposed platform supports spatial cognition in BLV populations, augmenting personal freedom and agency, and promoting health and well-being.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier: NCT03174314, Registered 2017.06.02.

Velocity estimation using a compact correlation velocity log

Unmanned underwater vehicles require bottom-referenced acoustic navigation aids to maintain long-term positional accuracy without surfacing. When these platforms are small, they create new design constraints for acoustic navigation aids because of the limited available space and power. Traditional acoustic navigation techniques, such as Doppler Velocity Logs, are unsuitable for use on small platforms because of the power required to maintain adequate signal to noise ratio when they are scaled in size. A compact correlation velocity log (CVL) is an alternative approach that can meet the power, space, and accuracy requirements for an acoustic navigation aid on such platforms. This device uses a single projector, a sparse receive array, and estimates platform motion using a multi-dimensional fitting algorithm over an ensemble of 3 or more pings. This presentation will discuss the theory of operation, simulation, and experimental results for a 300 kHz compact CVL that is 4 × 8 cm2. [The authors want to acknowledge Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems for their financial support of this work.]

Dynamic Data-Driven Ship Motion Simulation toward Visual-aided Navigation on Water

Visual aids for navigation systems are a key function of intelligent onboard navigation units for ships. These systems visualize the planning decisions of an intelligent navigation unit for computer-aided visual navigation to reduce the cognitive workload of the driving control personnel of an intelligent ship. In this study, we propose a dynamic data driven method to simulate the motion of ships on the water. We constructed a validation dataset for ship motion simulation toward visual-aided navigation considering the combined effects of wind, waves and currents. According to the validation results on this dataset, the proposed simulation method exhibited good accuracy and real-time performance. Under the given control and environmental input series, the mean errors of simulated heading and simulated trajectory were 5.7°/h and 282.6 m/h, respectively; the simulation time was 475 ms for each hour of physical duration. Overall, the proposed simulation method satisfies the need for visual navigation aids and could improve the situational awareness of the driving control personnel of the intelligent ship.

The Most Promising New Energy Source—Wind Power

Energy is an important part of the development of human society, but due to the large consumption of oil, coal and other resources, it also brings environmental pollution. Therefore, people have higher and higher requirements for environmental protection and sustainable development. Renewable energy plays a key role in meeting climate change agreement targets, increasing energy security, improving access to electricity and reducing fossil energy consumption. Wind power is a sustainable energy source. Because it is environmentally friendly and rich in resources, scientists have spent thousands of years looking for an effective method. This paper mainly introduces the development of wind power utilization and generation, wind navigation aid, wind water diversion and wind heat. In addition, the present situation, advantages and disadvantages of these technologies are described in detail, and the future development of wind power generation is briefly described. Hopefully this article will give a general idea of what wind power can be used for.

Dataset of Public Objects in Uncontrolled Environment for Navigation Aiding

Computer vision is a new approach to navigation aiding that assists visually impaired people to travel independently. A deep learning-based solution implemented on a portable device that uses a monocular camera to capture public objects could be a low-cost and handy navigation aid. By recognizing public objects in the street and estimating their distance from the user, visually impaired people are able to avoid obstacles in the outdoor environment and walk safely. In this paper, we created a dataset of public objects in an uncontrolled environment for navigation aiding. The dataset contains three classes of objects which commonly exist on pavements in the city. It was verified that the dataset was of high quality for object detection and distance estimation, and was ultimately utilized as a navigation aid solution.

Domain randomisation and CNN-based keypoint-regressing pose initialisation for relative navigation with uncooperative finite-symmetric spacecraft targets using monocular camera images

Vision-based relative navigation technology is a key enabler of several areas of the space industry such as on-orbit servicing, space debris removal, and formation flying. A particularly demanding scenario is navigating relative to a non-cooperative target that does not offer any navigational aid and is unable to stabilise its attitude. This research integrates a convolutional neural network (CNN) and an EPnP-solver in a pose initialisation system. The system’s performance is benchmarked on images gathered from the European Proximity Operations Simulator EPOS 2.0 laboratory. A synthetic dataset is generated using Blender as a rendering engine. A segmentation-based pose estimation CNN is trained using the synthetic dataset and the resulting pose estimation performance is evaluated on a set of real images gathered from the cameras of the EPOS 2.0 robotic close-range relative navigation laboratory. It is demonstrated that a synthetic-image-trained CNN-based pose estimation pipeline is able to successfully perform in a close-range visual relative navigation setting on real camera images of a 6-facet symmetrical spacecraft.

Using spontaneous eye blink-related brain activity to investigate cognitive load during mobile map-assisted navigation.

The continuous assessment of pedestrians' cognitive load during a naturalistic mobile map-assisted navigation task is challenging because of limited experimental control over stimulus presentation, human-map-interactions, and other participant responses. To overcome this challenge, the present study takes advantage of navigators' spontaneous eye blinks during navigation to serve as event markers in continuously recorded electroencephalography (EEG) data to assess cognitive load in a mobile map-assisted navigation task. We examined if and how displaying different numbers of landmarks (3 vs. 5 vs. 7) on mobile maps along a given route would influence navigators' cognitive load during navigation in virtual urban environments. Cognitive load was assessed by the peak amplitudes of the blink-related fronto-central N2 and parieto-occipital P3. Our results show increased parieto-occipital P3 amplitude indicating higher cognitive load in the 7-landmark condition, compared to showing 3 or 5 landmarks. Our prior research already demonstrated that participants acquire more spatial knowledge in the 5- and 7-landmark conditions compared to the 3-landmark condition. Together with the current study, we find that showing 5 landmarks, compared to 3 or 7 landmarks, improved spatial learning without overtaxing cognitive load during navigation in different urban environments. Our findings also indicate a possible cognitive load spillover effect during map-assisted wayfinding whereby cognitive load during map viewing might have affected cognitive load during goal-directed locomotion in the environment or vice versa. Our research demonstrates that users' cognitive load and spatial learning should be considered together when designing the display of future navigation aids and that navigators' eye blinks can serve as useful event makers to parse continuous human brain dynamics reflecting cognitive load in naturalistic settings.