Direction signs are an indispensable part for
easy mobility in unfamiliar locations. In public places there
are many signs and symbols which help in navigation, one
amongst them are emergency exit signs. These signs can be
easily interpreted by sighted people, but are unsuitable for
visually impaired persons, which is an issue of concern
particularly in cases of emergency. This paper deals with
tackling this problem with the help of mobile image
processing and using the principles of object detection and
pattern recognition. In the first part we study the need of
addressing this problem. We then list down the technologies
currently being used around the world to ease navigation for
the visually challenged .In the next part we have proposed
an architecture that detects and recognizes the direction of
exit sign by carrying out image processing. The last section
deals with the analysis which include the evaluation and
testing of the application.
The need of direction aids for assisting the visually
impaired with navigation has been studied. An
architecture for tackling the above problem has also been
suggested. Various methods for implementing this
proposed scheme have also been suggested. The need of
navigation technology for the visually challenged, various
technologies currently being implemented in this field , a
proposed architecture of its implementation has been
successfully been presented in this paper.
[1] In A. Helal, M. Mokhtari & B. Abdulrazak (Eds.),
Engineering handbook of smart technology for aging,
disability, and independence (pp. 479- 500): John
Wiley & Sons. [2] Díaz, Iñaki, Josune Hernantes, and Jorge Juan
Gil."Combining sensorial modalities in haptic
navigation tasks for blind people." European
conference for the advancement of assistive technology
in Europe (AAATE 2007). 2007.
[3] SP Bail, "IMAGE PROCESSING ON A MOBILE
PLATFORM.", www.academia.edu.
[4] http://www.forbes.com/sites/federicoguerrini/2015/04/
03/helping-blind-people-navigate-the-londons-tubewith-
beacons-and-bluetooth/
[5] http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29913637
[6] http://www.tactilenavigationtools.com/eyeronman/
[7] J Youn, G H Kim, K Chong, Automatic Extraction of
Direction Information from Road Sign Images
Obtained by a Mobile Mapping System, Geospatial
World Forum ,5-9 May 2014, Geneva, Switzerland
[8] Nurion-Raycal,2006 (http://www.nurion.net/LC.html).
[9] Bay Advanced Technologies Ltd.
(http://www.batforblind.co.nz/; accessed 2006).
[10] Crandall W, Brabyn J, Bentzen BL, Myers L: Remote
infrared signage evaluation for transit stations and
intersections, J Rehab Res Devel 36(4):341–355
(1999).
[11] Marston J: Spatial knowledge acquisition and the
blind: The effect of environmental auditory cues on
spatial awareness, Conf Workshop on Assistive
Technologies for Vision and Hearing Impairment,
Granada, Spain, 2004.
[12] Krishnan, K. GOPALA, C. M. Porkodi, and K.
Kanimozhi. "Image recognition for visually impaired
people by sound." Communications and Signal
Processing (ICCSP), 2013 International Conference
on. IEEE, 2013.
[13] Caldini, Alessandro, Marco Fanfani, and Carlo
Colombo. "Smartphone-Based Obstacle Detection for
the Visually Impaired." Image Analysis and
Processing—ICIAP 2015. Springer International
Publishing, 2015. 480-488.