PERCEPT Indoor Wayfinding for Blind and Visually Impaired Users: Navigation Instructions Algorithm and Validation Framework

This paper introduces an algorithm that generates indoor navigation instructions for Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) users as well as a validation framework that validates these instructions. The validation framework which utilizes Unity game engine incorporates: a) a virtual environment that mirrors the physical environment and b) a game avatar that traverses this virtual environment following action code sequences which correspond to the navigation instructions. A navigation instruction from a source to a destination is correct if the game avatar successfully reaches from the source to the destination in the virtual environment following this navigation instruction. We successfully tested the navigation instruction generation algorithm and the validation framework in a large two-story building with 66 landmarks and 1500 navigation instructions. To the best of our knowledge this is the first automated generation instructions algorithm for BVI users in indoor environments, and the first validation framework for navigation instructions in indoor environments. This paper is a significant step towards the development of a cost effective indoor wayfinding solution for BVI users.