AudioNav

Abstract

This research is to design a novel indoor navigation tool called AudioNav for users with visual impairment. Current navigation systems rely upon expensive physical augmentation of the environment or expensive sensing equipment. The proposed system is infrastructure-free and low cost as it uses only a virtual representation of a building to be navigated. Our proposed system: 1) extracts a floor-plan and recognizes landmarks in the three-dimensional model of a building, 2) locates and tracks the user inside the building while there is no GPS reception, 3) finds the most suitable path based on the user's special needs, and provides step-by-step direction to the destination using voice, speech, or haptic feedback.