Displacement aid system for people with visual impairment using magnetic coils

This article shows the development of a support system for the movement of people with visual impairments using a near field communication system, based on magnetic coils. The structure of the system consists of an embedded system attached to a smart cane, which allows the detection of a set of transmitting coils placed at the intersections of the tactile paving that people with visual impairments use to move in public places. When the smart cane detects an intersection it informs the user about the places that can be reached by following each one of the possible directions, using voice commands. This article propertly describes the overal function of the system, as well as the design and implementation of the transmitting and receiving coils, including the mathematical model of the magnetic coils, which is used to calculate the communication range. Finally some experimental results are presented.