Shaping accessible public spaces for visually impaired people. The BUDD-e research experience

Abstract

The paper describes both the method and the preliminary outcomes of the “Blind-assistive aUtonomous Droid Device: BUDD-e” research experience, funded by Polisocial Award 2021 of Politecnico di Milano, and designed to exploit a multidisciplinary approach to bridge the gap of inclusive design, making spaces and services accessible, functional, and usable by Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) people. The research purpose is to develop accessible public places and indoor environments where the autonomous robot BUDD-e will act as guide for the BVI people. User-centred design principles will be applied to support accessibility to – both outdoor and indoor – public places, where the robot guide BUDD-e will be a primary feature in allowing access to services.