Intelligent Mobility System for Improving the Blind Pedestrian Independent Behavior in Unknown Outdoor Environments

Abstract

The second cause of disability in Mexico is visual impairment; 26% population is blind. Even though blind people maintain a lower quality’s life than sighted people, there is not enough social interest to develop comprehensive solutions that improve it. Although many voice-activated emerging technologies use artificial intelligence to get human-machine communication through intelligent virtual assistants, such as Alexa, Siri, Google Home, and Cortana, among others, in reality, there have not been developed specific tools just for blind people that help them to improve their independent behavior because they always depend on other people in doing their daily tasks, more even when they need to move around unknown environments for them. This document reports the development of an autonomous mobility system to be operated by blind people. By audio reconstruction, it is possible to dictate, to the blind pedestrian, in real-time, the presence of traffic lights, crosswalks, and information about their current location. This system employs real-time computer vision tools, artificial intelligence, audio playback systems, and location systems, and it improves the independent behavior of blind people because they could move through unknown environments without the assistance of any sighted person, giving them greater independence and consequently increasing their life’s quality.