{"id":2594,"date":"2013-12-03T20:35:12","date_gmt":"2013-12-03T20:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=2594"},"modified":"2013-12-12T15:57:16","modified_gmt":"2013-12-12T15:57:16","slug":"leading-the-blind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=2594","title":{"rendered":"Leading the blind"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iStock_000003307963Large\"<\/a>David Bevly<\/a><\/strong>, Albert Smith Jr. professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering<\/a>, is leading a team of Auburn researchers to build a prototype extended mobility system that will help navigate the visually impaired to their desired locations.<\/p>\n

The team is investigating the use of cameras, inertial sensors and communications devices to track the movements of visually impaired individuals who wear the system. GPS data, as well as wireless information available from future Department of Transportation wireless communication devices, will be integrated into the device to guide users to their destinations. The system will include technology developed for soldiers and unmanned vehicles by Draper Laboratory<\/a>, a not-for-profit engineering research and development organization dedicated to solving national challenges.<\/p>\n

Members of the research team include industrial and systems engineering faculty members John Evans<\/strong><\/a> and Richard Sesek<\/a><\/strong> and graduate student Tenchi Gao, mechanical engineering graduate students Robert Cofield<\/strong> and Christopher Rose<\/strong>, and consultant Richard Bishop<\/strong>. The system will be designed with the input of blind individuals from the National Federation of the Blind, who are crucial to ensuring the system is both accessible and useful.
\n<\/p>\n

\u201cCommercial products have been created that primarily use GPS in conjunction with voice-over communication as a means of telling the visually impaired where they are and which way to go,\u201d Rose said. \u201cUnfortunately, these products often suffer from poor positioning. That is, they are not accurate enough to tell the difference between a sidewalk and a road, or going in the wrong building or doorway.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Rose, utilizing Draper Laboratory\u2019s robotics expertise in vision navigation and Auburn\u2019s GPS and pedestrian dead-reckoning capabilities allows the system to provide blind people with more precise directions, as well as indoor navigation. The prototype will enable impaired individuals to more intuitively participate in activities and events in a readily available way, from attending concerts to taking the subway to visiting friends.<\/p>\n

The system of devices, which Bevly describes as potentially including an ankle bracelet containing inertial sensors or a camera positioned in a pair of glasses, is under contract with the Federal Highway Administration. A prototype device is expected to be available in 2015.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Bevly, Albert Smith Jr. professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is leading a team of Auburn researchers to build a prototype extended mobility system that will help navigate the visually impaired to their desired locations. The team is investigating the use of cameras, inertial sensors and communications devices […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[11,38,447,448,450,449,394],"yoast_head":"\nLeading the blind » Auburn Engineer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=2594\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=2594&page=2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Leading the blind » Auburn Engineer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"David Bevly, Albert Smith Jr. professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is leading a team of Auburn researchers to build a prototype extended mobility system that will help navigate the visually impaired to their desired locations. 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