Design and Overview of a Navigation Application for the Blind

Sanjana Panicker, Maitreyi Koduganti, Merrill Gonsalves, Kane Gonsalves, Sandeep Anand, Sandhya Pati | October 2016

Abstract:

Navigating brings up challenges for people who are Visually Impaired (VI). It is tough for people with Visual Impairment to move both indoor and outdoor on their own. We aim to address these challenges. Our application provides indoor navigation on a smartphone with the help of Bluetooth Beacons and Indoor Atlas technology. The mobile application provides voice assistance to users to navigate to their destination. The indoor component of the app is to assist members of the Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC). This application also provides outdoor help for VI individuals and guides them to the nearest bus stop. GPS will be used for this function. The application aims to facilitate acommuter to reach a bus stop of their choice. It provides information such as bus numbers and different routes. Also the application prompts when the arrival of a desired bus stop is expected. The application would be scalable and expandable to add more areas. This application enables VI individuals to travel independently by overcoming many of the obstacles faced by them.