Proposing a hybrid tag-camera-based identification and navigation aid for the visually impaired

In this paper a barcode-based system to help the visually impaired identity objects in the environment and navigate through unknown territories is introduced. The system is based on the idea of tagging the different objects with 2D barcodes. With the aid of a portable camera and a computing device, the system can recognize and relay the barcode content to the user. We present the advantages of the proposed system compared to those of existing technologies. The different steps for recognizing and extracting the barcodes are described and applied to a sample image.