Template matching for a local guidance system

We describe an important component of an Interactive Assistance System designed to help the blind and visually impaired to become more independent, increasing their mobility and ability to work. A major part of the system is a Local Guidance System (LGS) that uses image processing techniques to extract the most important features in the path of the blind. The LGS provides information to the user about obstacles and general characteristics of the walking path. It uses two miniature cameras to capture the image from two different locations. A processor uses a template matching algorithm to detect the main features in the path. Then the images are processed and delivered in (text to speech) audio format. The objects are chosen and classified by a statistical study of actual street images, then the templates are formed for each main feature in the image by averaging all the images obtained for that feature