Robot Patrol: Using Crowdsourcing and Robotic Systems to Provide Indoor Navigation Guidance to The Visually Impaired

Understand

Indoor navigation is a challenging activity for persons with disabilities, particularly, for those with low vision and visual impairment.

• Researchers have explored numerous solutions to resolve these challenges; however, several issues remain unsolved, particularly around providing dynamic and contextual information about potential obstacles in indoor environments.
• In this paper, we developed Robot Patrol, an integrated system that employs a combination of crowdsourcing, computer vision, and robotic frameworks to provide contextual information to the visually impaired to empower them to navigate indoor spaces safely.
• In particular, the system is designed to provide information to the visually impaired about 1) potential obstacles on the route to their indoor destination, 2) information about indoor events on their route which they may wish to avoid or attend, and 3) any other contextual information that might support them to navigate to their indoor destinations safely and effectively.