Indriya — A smart guidance system for the visually impaired

In this paper, we propose a smart assistive technology named Indriya, for aiding the visually impaired. The word “Indriya” is derived from Sanskrit language, meaning “Organ”. Indriya is a mini handheld device for the blind, which may be used with walking cane as a smart companion. The device features complete voice assistance for easy navigation, through simple button clicks. It can also detect obstacles ahead up to three meters and can differentiate between objects and humans with guaranteed 80% accuracy. Both vibratory and voice feedbacks are provided for accurate collision alerts. Indriya uses less number of sensors and extracts its smartness by incorporating Android and Internet of Things (IOT) support. In this work, we intend to put forth a novel, low cost and reliable approach to help the blind to explore the possibilities and power of smart phone technology in navigation.