Object Localization Assistive System Based on CV and Vibrotactile Encoding

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel assistive system for the blind that uses computer vision and vibrotactile feedback to provide intuitive spatial cues, improving navigation efficiency and user comfort.

Contribution

It presents a vibrotactile encoding method combined with a wearable RGB-D camera for accurate 3D object localization, offering a more intuitive alternative to voice prompts.

Findings

Vibrotactile feedback reduces task completion time by over 25%.

The system enhances spatial cognition and navigation for blind users.

It provides a comfortable and intuitive assistive experience.

Abstract

Intelligent assistive systems can navigate blind people, but most of them could only give non-intuitive cues or inefficient guidance. Based on computer vision and vibrotactile encoding, this paper presents an interactive system that provides blind people with intuitive spatial cognition. Different from the traditional auditory feedback strategy based on speech cues, this paper firstly introduces a vibration-encoded feedback method that leverages the haptic neural pathway and enables the users to interact with objects other than manipulating an assistance device. Based on this strategy, a wearable visual module based on an RGB-D camera is adopted for 3D spatial object localization, which contributes to accurate perception and quick object localization in the real environment. The experimental results on target blind individuals indicate that vibrotactile feedback reduces the task completion time by over 25% compared with the mainstream voice prompt feedback scheme. The proposed object localization system provides a more intuitive spatial navigation and comfortable wearability for blindness assistance.