A Navigation Aid for Blind People Based on Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

Most navigation aids for blind people require users to equip various equipment and multi-sensor subsystems for environmental detection. This study integrates the visual simultaneous localization and mapping system with pre-established maps to develop a navigation aid system for blind people. The system operates similarly to how Google Map uses pre-established environmental maps and landmarks. While the user walks, the system reads the map in the database and synchronizes feature points from the visual simultaneous localization and mapping system onto the environment map. In addition, the aid employs audio cues to notify users of signpost information and enables users to make inquiries on specific destinations via human-machine interaction.