Estimation Method of Direction of Movement for Walking Assistance System for Visually Impaired

Abstract

We have been studying walking assistance support systems for the visually impaired. In the present study, experiments were conducted on the walking movements of visually impaired people using a white cane, which are important for the estimation of the direction of travel of pedestrians. As a result, it was found that in walking with a white cane, the direction of the body constantly changes due to the swinging motion of the cane, and that the direction of the body shifts from the frontal direction depending on the position of objects that serve as cues for walking. Therefore, the method of combining GNSS trajectory and geomagnetic sensor in this system was discussed.