Mobile robot obstacle avoidance in a computerized travel aid forthe blind

摘要

A blind traveler walking through an unfamiliar environment and amobile robot navigating through a cluttered environment have animportant feature in common: both have the kinematic ability to performthe motion, but are depended on a sensory system to detect and avoidobstacles. This paper describes the use of a mobile robot obstacleavoidance system as a guidance device for blind and visually impairedpeople. Just like electronic signals are sent to a mobile robot's motorcontrollers, auditory signals can guide the blind traveler aroundobstacles, or alternatively, they can provide an “acousticimage” of the surroundings. The concept has been implemented andtested in a new traveling aid for the blind, called the Navbelt.Experimental results of subjects traveling with the Navbelt in differentsurroundings are presented