Blind navigation proposal using SONAR

This paper is a part of our effort to develop a navigation system to aid the visually impaired using SONAR. SONAR (SOund Navigation And Ranging) system plays a significant role in widespread applications in underwater scenarios. Here emphasis is on the use of the same in real-time detection of obstacle. Our goal is to create a portable, cost-effective, lightweight, unobtrusive, unprecedented system for the blind to enable their movement without assistance. At present, the existing satellite navigation based on GPS is not accurate enough to guide pedestrians, especially around cities. The obstacle avoidance strategy is described in the system, the performance of primarily on the SONAR sensors used. The effect of their limitation on the proposed system is presented in detail. The results provided show that the performance of a group of sonar devices when placed appropriately make the system suitable as a navigator for the visually impaired.