StepByWatch: A Smartwatch-based Enhanced Navigation System for Visually Impaired Users

The worldwide diffusion of mobile technology has opened the door to a new era of distributed sensing. Indeed, mobile sensing and wireless technology can be exploited to create new information and services that have the potential to improve our lives in many ways. This becomes even more interesting if the benefits could reach the whole community, even people with disadvantages that are often left out by the digital divide. To this aim, we have developed a system able to offer an enhanced route navigation system, while at the same time gathering quality data through smartwatches. Even more interesting, we have endowed our system with an interaction paradigm based on vibration patterns so as to guide the user without the need for looking at the device. Our proposal avoids user distraction and field trials demonstrate its effectiveness when employed by visually impaired people.