Assistive Systems for Visually Impaired Persons: Challenges and Opportunities for Navigation Assistance

Sensors (Basel). 2024 Jun 1;24(11):3572. doi: 10.3390/s24113572.

Abstract

The inability to see makes moving around very difficult for visually impaired persons. Due to their limited movement, they also struggle to protect themselves against moving and non-moving objects. Given the substantial rise in the population of those with vision impairments in recent years, there has been an increasing amount of research devoted to the development of assistive technologies. This review paper highlights the state-of-the-art assistive technology, tools, and systems for improving the daily lives of visually impaired people. Multi-modal mobility assistance solutions are also evaluated for both indoor and outdoor environments. Lastly, an analysis of several approaches is also provided, along with recommendations for the future.

Keywords: Internet of Things (IoT); artificial intelligence; visually impaired person.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Persons with Visual Disabilities* / rehabilitation
  • Self-Help Devices*

Grants and funding

The authors extend their appreciation to the King Salman center For Disability Research for funding this work through Research Group no KSRG-2023-374.