Title :
VibroCap: A mobility supporting hat for blind
Author :
Gurkan, Koray ; Akan, A.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Electron. Eng., Istanbul Univ., Istanbul, Turkey
Abstract :
In this paper, we present the VibroCap, a mobility aiding hat which is designed to detect obstacles and alert the visually impaired user. By using low cost PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride) ultrasonic sensors, hat detects obstacles, which are located across the upper part of the human body and cannot normally be detected by white cane. Depending on the distance of the detected obstacle, visually impaired person is informed by three vibration motors placed on the forehead. The design stages and experimental results of the obstacle detection system are presented.
Keywords :
biomedical equipment; handicapped aids; polymers; ultrasonic devices; vision defects; VibroCap; blind; design stages; forehead; human body; low cost polyvinylidene fluoride ultrasonic sensors; mobility aiding; mobility supporting hat; obstacle detection system; vibration motors; visually impaired person; visually impaired user; white cane;
Conference_Titel :
Electrical and Electronics Engineering (ELECO), 2013 8th International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Bursa
Print_ISBN :
978-605-01-0504-9
DOI :
10.1109/ELECO.2013.6713863