PERCEPT: RFID-Enabled Smart Pavement Technology For Visually Impaired

PERCEPT：针对视障人士的 RFID 智能路面技术

• 批准号: 7990333
• 负责人: Aura Ganz
• 金额: $ 14.16万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-30 至 2012-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7990333
• 关键词: Accounting; Address; Awareness; Canes; Canis familiaris; Client; Communication; Communications aid for the blind; Complement; Computer Systems; Computer software; Data; Destinations; Devices; Environment; Evaluation; Experimental Designs; Feeling; Frequencies; Frustration; Generations; Goals; Health Sciences; Impairment; Independent Living; Instruction; Intervention; Laboratories; Massachusetts; Modeling; Multimedia; Perception; Performance; Public Health Schools; Radio; Reader; Research Infrastructure; Self-Help Devices; Services; Specialist; System; Tactile; Technology; Testing; Time; Training Programs; Universities; Vision; Visual impairment; Visually Impaired Persons; Wireless Technology; base; blind; cost; design; ergonomics; expectation; experience; help-seeking behavior; impression; improved; information processing; novel strategies; operation; portability; prototype; public health relevance; response; satisfaction; software systems; system architecture; user-friendly

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Worldwide, 161 million people have vision impairment, and without intervention that number is expected to almost double by 2020. The blind and visually-impaired encounter serious problems in leading an independent life due to their reduced perception of the environment. New environments pose a huge challenge for them to perceive their surroundings without seeking help from others. Current training programs for blind and visually-impaired people in University settings require them to memorize a large amount of information for numerous buildings, leading to an increase in frustration on their part. To build an effective assistive technology system for the blind and visually-impaired, one of the biggest challenges is to model real-world problems faced by them in a software system that could address these issues. In order to enhance the perception of indoor and unfamiliar environments of the blind and visually- impaired, as well as to aid in their navigation through such environments, we propose a novel approach that provides context-aware navigation services. PerceptSpace, which is generated using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), tagged spaces (audio landmarks, kiosks), and Bluetooth tracks, enables a ubiquitous computing system with contextual awareness of its users while providing them persistent and context-aware information. We present the system architecture called PERCEPT that supports a number of unique features such as: a) Low deployment cost; b) Scalability, i.e. we can deploy the system in very large buildings; c) An on- demand system that does not overwhelm the user, as it offers small amounts of information on demand; and d) Portability and ease-of-use, i.e., the device carried by the user is compact and familiar, and instructions are received audibly. The proposed system will complement existing mobility and orientation aids for the blind, such as the cane and/or dog. The overall goal of this proposal is to develop, deploy, and test the PERCEPT system. Accordingly, we have two Specific Aims: 1) To design and create an initial PERCEPT system prototype that will assist the blind and visually-impaired in navigating through unfamiliar indoor environments and 2) to evaluate the performance of the PERCEPT system. We hypothesize that the PERCEPT system will show increased accuracy, improved time to destination, a level of information disseminated that enhances perception without feeling overwhelming, decreased frustration, user-friendliness, and high overall satisfaction. PERCEPT is different from other systems in the following aspects: 1) it offers small pieces of information to the users that can be handled by them and on their choice, unlike the Chatty Environment; 2) it offers portability in the end-device by using a PDA; 3) it does not require line-of-sight operation; and 4) it involves a scalable and inexpensive deployment (includes passive RFID and Bluetooth tracks) while leveraging existing communication infrastructure such as WiFi. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Worldwide, 161 million people have vision impairment, and without intervention that number is expected to almost double by 2020. The blind and visually-impaired encounter serious problems in leading an independent life due to their reduced perception of new environments. We propose a system that provides enhanced perception of new indoor environments using RFID- equipped and Bluetooth-enabled PDAs as the end device.

描述（由申请人提供）：全球，1.61亿人患有视力障碍，没有干预，预计到2020年的数字将几乎翻一番。盲人和视觉上受损的人会因对他们的观念减少而带来独立生活的严重问题环境。新环境给他们带来巨大的挑战，即在不寻求他人的帮助的情况下感知周围环境。在大学环境中针对盲人和视觉障碍的人的当前培训计划要求他们记住大量建筑物的大量信息，从而增加了他们的挫败感。为了建立有效的辅助技术系统，为盲人且视觉上受损，最大的挑战之一是在可以解决这些问题的软件系统中对他们面临的现实世界中的问题进行建模。为了增强盲人和视觉障碍的室内和陌生环境的看法，并帮助他们通过此类环境进行导航，我们提出了一种新颖的方法，可提供上下文感知的导航服务。使用RFID（无线电频率标识），标记的空间（音频地标，信息亭）和蓝牙轨道生成的感知空间可以实现无处不在的计算系统，同时对用户的上下文认识，同时为他们提供持久和上下文意识到的信息。我们介绍了称为感知的系统体系结构，该体系结构支持许多独特功能，例如：a）部署成本低； b）可伸缩性，即我们可以将系统部署在非常大的建筑物中； c）一个不压倒用户的需求系统，因为它提供了少量的需求信息； d）可移植性和易用性，即用户携带的设备紧凑且熟悉，并且可以听到说明。拟议的系统将补充盲人（例如甘蔗和/或狗）的现有移动性和定向辅助工具。该提案的总体目标是开发，部署和测试感知系统。因此，我们有两个具体的目的：1）设计和创建一个初始的感知系统原型，该原型将有助于盲目且视觉上受损害，从而在不熟悉的室内环境中导航和2）评估感知系统的性能。我们假设感知系统将显示出更高的准确性，提高目的地的时间，即传播的信息水平，可以增强感知而不会感到压倒性，沮丧，用户友好性和高度整体满意度。在以下方面，感知与其他系统不同：1）它为他们可以和他们选择的用户提供了少量信息，与健谈的环境不同； 2）它通过使用PDA在末端设备中提供便携性； 3）它不需要视线操作； 4）它涉及可扩展且廉价的部署（包括被动RFID和蓝牙轨道），同时利用诸如WiFi之类的现有通信基础架构。 公共卫生相关性：全球，1.61亿人患有视力障碍，如果没有干预，到2020年，人数预计将几乎翻一番。盲人和视觉上受损的遇到了严重的问题，因为他们对新环境的看法减少了独立生活。我们提出了一个系统，该系统使用配备的RFID和启用蓝牙的PDA作为最终设备提供了对新室内环境的增强感知。