Smartphone Based Tactile Feedback System Providing Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance to the Blind and Visually Impaired

People with vision impairments and other visual disorders require support to complete daily tasks like moving around and discovering new places. They may find it difficult to navigate through a new place and could be put in danger if they run into unforeseen barriers or could get lost easily. This paper discusses a solution to aid the blind and visually impaired navigate independently while avoiding obstacles in their path. The system has two operational modes, Outdoor Navigation and Indoor Navigation, and it alerts the user through vibration (tactile) and audio feedback. While the Indoor mode accompanies a user to a labelled site, the Outdoor mode leads them to a geographical destination. The solution was able to reduce the Clearance time by 27.35 percent and the Obstacle hit rate by 66.6 percent. The system is hassle-free, comfortable to use and affordable because it requires only the user's smartphone and a custom-made hardware waist belt.