8 research outputs found
Finding Your Way Back: Comparing Path Odometry Algorithms for Assisted Return.
We present a comparative analysis of inertial-based odometry algorithms for the purpose of assisted return. An assisted return system facilitates backtracking of a path previously taken, and can be particularly useful for blind pedestrians. We present a new algorithm for path matching, and test it in simulated assisted return tasks with data from WeAllWalk, the only existing data set with inertial data recorded from blind walkers. We consider two odometry systems, one based on deep learning (RoNIN), and the second based on robust turn detection and step counting. Our results show that the best path matching results are obtained using the turns/steps odometry system
Indoor Inertial Waypoint Navigation for the Blind
Indoor navigation technology is needed to support seamless mobility for the visually impaired. This paper describes the construction and evaluation of an inertial dead reckoning navigation system that provides real-time auditory guidance along mapped routes. Inertial dead reckoning is a navigation technique coupling step counting together with heading estimation to compute changes in position at each step. The research described here outlines the development and evaluation of a novel navigation system that utilizes information from the mapped route to limit the problematic error accumulation inherent in traditional dead reckoning approaches. The prototype system consists of a wireless inertial sensor unit, placed at the users’ hip, which streams readings to a smartphone processing a navigation algorithm. Pilot human trials were conducted assessing system efficacy by studying route-following performance with blind and sighted subjects using the navigation system with real-time guidance, versus offline verbal directions
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Robust Indoor Pedestrian Backtracking Using Magnetic Signatures and Inertial Data
Track frame approach for heading and attitude estimation in operating railways using on-board MEMS sensor and encoder
In this work, the orientation of a railway is estimated with a novel methodology based on multibody system
kinematics using the railway-specific track frame. The proposed method improves the prediction model by
considering the translational accelerations due to the track negotiation. To this end, the forward velocity of
the vehicle, measured with an encoder, and the design geometry of the track are used. This algorithm has been
tested on an operational underground light-metro railway with quite good results compared with other data
fusion algorithms embedded in commercial Inertial Measurements Units (IMU) that contains no information
about the real application whatsoever.Ministerio español de Economía, Industria y Competitividad DI-15-07658Fondo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) US-1257665Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad de la Junta de Andalucía ‘Programa Operativo FEDER 2014- 2020
IndoorWaze: A Crowdsourcing-Based Context-Aware Indoor Navigation System
Indoor navigation systems are very useful in large complex indoor environments such as shopping malls. Current systems focus on improving indoor localization accuracy and must be combined with an accurate labeled floor plan to provide usable indoor navigation services. Such labeled floor plans are often unavailable or involve a prohibitive cost to manually obtain. In this paper, we present IndoorWaze, a novel crowdsourcing-based context-aware indoor navigation system that can automatically generate an accurate context-aware floor plan with labeled indoor POIs for the first time in literature. IndoorWaze combines the Wi-Fi fingerprints of indoor walkers with the Wi-Fi fingerprints and POI labels provided by POI employees to produce a high-fidelity labeled floor plan. As a lightweight crowdsourcing-based system, IndoorWaze involves very little effort from indoor walkers and POI employees. We prototype IndoorWaze on Android smartphones and evaluate it in a large shopping mall. Our results show that IndoorWaze can generate a high-fidelity labeled floor plan, in which all the stores are correctly labeled and arranged, all the pathways and crossings are correctly shown, and the median estimation error for the store dimension is below 12%
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All the Way There and Back: Inertial-Based, Phone-in-Pocket Indoor Wayfinding and Backtracking Apps for Blind Travelers
Uso de teléfonos inteligentes para ayudar a personas con discapacidad visual a localizarse desde de un espacio cerrado
El aporte generado por la investigación se centra en el análisis de la localización en espacios cerrados, donde el GPS no funciona. No obstante, su importancia se centra en el público al que va dirigido el estudio: personas con discapacidad visual. Así, se propuso un modelo de localización en interiores cuyo dispositivo principal es un teléfono inteligente, ampliamente utilizado actualmente y que brinda características útiles para el proceso de ubicación al interior de un piso y entre diferentes pisos. El mo-delo busca ser lo menos invasivo posible con el usuario, además de no requerir adecuaciones adiciona-les en la edificación.The contribution presented by the research is based on the analysis of indoor positioning where GPS does not work. Nevertheless, its real importance is focused on the kind of users that interact with the system: visually impaired people. Thus, it is proposed an indoor location model, which most important device is a Smartphone, widely used nowadays and which has useful characteristics for the location processes at every single floor of a building. The model is intended to be as non-invasive as possible and not require special devices placed in the building.Ingeniero (a) de SistemasPregrad
SmartGuia: Shopping Assistant for Blind People
Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Biomédica apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra.Tendo em conta as limita c~oes das pessoas com de ci^encia, o presente trabalho
pretende agir num cen ario espec co melhorando a qualidade da vidas destas
pessoas. Integrados num grupo de investiga c~ao em Internet das Coisas,
colabor amos com tr^es institui c~oes, levantando requisitos no que concerne a
aplicabilidade da Internet das Coisas para ajudar pessoas com de ci^encia.
Depois disso, escolhemos e foc amo-nos no plano de trabalho adotado, sendo
um dos cen arios identi cados onde poder amos ajudar.
Com este trabalho e proposto um sistema para apoiar pessoas cegas na
ida as compras e navega c~ao dentro de edif cios. O sistema proposto ajuda o
utilizador a circular pelo edif cio e encontrar servi cos e produtos desejados ou
dispon veis. Tem como objetivo aumentar a autonomia das pessoas cegas nas
atividades do dia-a-dia dentro de edif cios. A pessoa cega n~ao tem acesso a
informa c~ao dispon vel por meios visuais. O sistema consiste numa aplica c~ao
para smartphone que oferece navega c~ao assistida em edif cios p ublicos, respondendo
a quest~oes, guiando a pessoa, e disponibilizando informa c~ao objetiva
sobre os espa cos, servi cos e produtos dispon veis.
O sistema proposto inclui tamb em um sistema de informa c~ao. Este sistema
de informa c~ao identi ca o destino pretendido e oferece informa c~ao concisa
ou detalhada sobre os produtos ou sevi cos dispon veis. O sistema determina
constantemente a localiza c~ao do utilizador, calcula rotas, guia a pessoa
dentro do edif cio, e identi ca pontos de interesse na vizinhan ca da pessoa. O
sistema requer tecnologia de localiza c~ao por beacons, que poder~ao por sua ver
ser baseados nas tecnologias Bluetooth ou Wi-Fi. Relativamente ao estado da
arte, a nossa solu c~ao oferece vantagens importantes: minimiza a intera c~ao
com o utilizador, que seria necess aria para escolher destinos, produtos ou
servios desejados em outros sistemas; lida com o ambiente din^amico resultxi
ante da caminhada do utilizador, como a varia c~ao do n umero e posi c~ao de
beacons ao alcance do utilizador; utiliza dispositivos que a pessoa cega j a
possui, e eventualmente beacons que possam j a existir ou tenham uma custo
de implanta c~ao baixo. Al em destas vantagens, desenh amos o sistema de
forma a ser o mais f acil e intuitivo de utilizar poss vel, aplicando mecanismos
acess veis a pessoas cegas. Para al em disso, o sistema est a desenhado
para lidar com o dinamismo do caminhar, sendo que o n umero e posi c~ao dos
beacons varia