A Target Following Robot for Navigation Assistance for People with Visual Impairments

Abstract

People with visual impairments often rely on known reference points, navigational landmarks that they have identified, to move around indoors. However, it is difficult to identify landmarks using a white cane due to its short range and it not being able to provide information about visual characteristics of objects. We propose that a mobile robot equipped with a vision sensor can help people with visual impairments explore unfamiliar environments, identify navigational landmarks, and help guide them towards these landmarks, enabling them to better navigate independently in unfamiliar environments. The robot will operate in two modes, a wayfinding mode for identifying target objects, and a navigating mode to guide the user towards the identified target object. A prototype was developed and we performed two experiments to verify its operation. The prototype can easily switch between wayfinding and navigating modes with user intervention and can be used to guide a user to target objects around a room.