CYCLOPS
Development and Evaluation of an Open Source Wearable Navigation Aid for Visually Impaired Users
The Cyclop project
involved the design, assembly and characterization of a wearable computing device
capable of assisting pedestrian navigation for blind people. The device is a
regular glove with the addition of electronic sensors, actuators and an Arduino
Uno controller board, sporting an Atmel ATmega328 microcontroller chip. Design
emphasis was placed on producing an intuitive and discreet navigational aid,
the technology being shaped around user needs. Design requirements were set
taking into account advice provided by an instructor from the Thessaloniki
School for the Blind (Greece).
The basic functions of the Cyclop glove
are:
i.
Obstacle detection
ii.
Audio and tactile notification of detected objects
iii.
Audio notification of direction with respect to the compass
The following peripheral components
were used to implement the aforementioned functionality:
i.
An ultrasound transceiver (distance measurement)
ii.
A digital compass
iii.
An sound reproduction board (audio notifications)
iv.
A vibrator motor (tactile notifications)
The device was
constructed, assembled, tested and the software was adjusted for optimal
usability, based on initial testing data. A series of experiments were
performed in order to characterize the device, including navigation in unknown
surroundings performed by blindfolded volunteers.
This final year thesis
includes the initial design requirements, a description of and data obtained
from characterization experiments, electronics connectivity diagrams, full open
source programming code, photographs and description of device assembly, a
parts list and technical data sheets for all electronic components.
Developed by:
Dimitris Savvas e-mail: savas_dimis@hotmail.com
Barbara Salonikidou e-mail: b.salonikid@gmail.com 
