Remote guidance for the blind — A proposed teleassistance system and navigation trials

The paper presents initial research on the system for remote guidance of the blind. The concept is based on the idea that a blind pedestrian can be aided by spoken instructions from an operator who receives a video stream from a camera carried by the visually impaired user. An early prototype utilizing two laptop PCs and a wireless internet connection is used in orientation and mobility trials, which aim to measure the potential usefulness of the system and discover possible problems with user-operator communication or device design. Test results show a quantitative performance increase when traveling with a remote guide: 15-50% speed increase and nearly halved times of navigational tasks; however, the main success is the engendered feeling of safety when assisted and the enthusiasm with which the concept was welcomed by blind trial participants.