Helping the Blind to Navigate Anywhere
From: Medical Design Technology - 09/20/2013

Auburn, Draper Laboratory, and the National Federation of the Blind are
working on a project to track the movements of a visually-impaired traveler
while integrating data from GPS satellites, visual information from cameras,
and wireless information from pedestrian signals in order to enhance safety
and mobility under a contract awarded in April. The Extended Mobility System
(EMS) will guide wearers as they travel through unstructured environments
where GPS navigation is not sufficient, such as transit stations, areas of
construction, and event arenas.

The researchers describe an example in which a concert-going wearer uses an
EMS to successfully navigate through underground subway tunnels using
information gathered from its cameras and internal map of the train station –
directing them possibly through tactile directional indicators on their belt.
The cameras assist them in identifying and following signs pointing to the
concert arena, and once there, the EMS will wirelessly access maps from the
arena’s marketing department to direct her to her ticketed seat.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.mdtmag.com/news/2013/09/helping-blind-navigate-anywhere

Links:
David Bevly
http://www.eng.auburn.edu/~dmbevly/

National Federation of the Blind
http://www.nfb.org/

Auburn University developing new technology to help visually impaired (video
  2:05) 
http://www.wtvm.com/story/23481126/au-developing-new-technology-to-help-visonally-impaired