Navigation Drone Using Light Touch Contact

Date & Time

Tuesday, March 14, 2023 - 3:20 PM PST  

Location

Platinum 6 (LIVESTREAM)  

Description

We propose a navigation system that helps a visually impaired person (VIP) get to their desired destination safely and independently, even when it is a place to which the person is not used to going. Currently, VIPs often travel with white canes and guide dogs. With a white cane, it is difficult to determine the presence of a wide range of obstacles. Furthermore, there are VIPs who cannot have a guide dog for various reasons. In either case, it can be difficult to navigate to where the user wants to go. In addition, visual information is important for maintaining balance in posture. When users have less visual information, it can be difficult to maintain posture. Based on the above considerations, a navigation system with a light touch contact (LTC) and a drone is proposed. The LTC is a phenomenon in which a small force of approximately 0.2–0.5 N is applied to a part of the human body, thereby stabilizing the posture. The system applies the resultant force of the contact force for LTC and the inductive force that tells the user where to go. It was confirmed by experiments using a toy drone that both induction and stabilization of posture could be achieved in able-bodied persons with their eyes closed. The proposed system reduced the walker's vibration observed with linear accelerations. In the future, we expect the system to be embedded in such devices as drones with strings. Sensors are used to recognize the surroundings and current location and guide the user.  

Audience

• Healthcare & Rehabilitation
• Entertainment & Recreation
• Research & Development
• Transportation

Audience Level

Beginning  

Session Summary (Abstract)

We propose a navigation system to help the visually impaired get to their desired destinations safely and independently. We also describe their challenges based on workshops and interviews, as well as the human characteristics that the system uses.  

Primary Topic

Blind/Low Vision  

Secondary Topics

• Emerging Technologies
• Independent Living
• Leisure & Travel
• Research

 

Session Type

General Track  

Presenters

• Kurena Motokura
  Sony Group Corporation
• Yurika Kiyota
  Sony Group Corporation

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