Mobile Robotics Technology in the Service of the Blind and Visually Impaired

This paper describes two computerized travel aids for the blind and visually impaired that use technologies originally developed for mobile robots. The first device - the Nav Belt is like a belt and, via a set of stereo earphones, provides acoustic signals that guide the user around obstacles. The second device - the Guide Cane uses the same mobile robotics technology as the Nav Belt but it is a wheeled device pushed ahead of the user via an attached cane. When it detects an obstacle it steers around it. The user immediately feels this steering action and follows the Guide Cane's new path.