Periodic Report Summary - BRAVIS (Development of a Haptic Display and Vision System for the Blind)
Project background and objectives:
Project Title: Development of a Haptic Display and Vision System for the Blind
Duration: 16 September 2009-15 September 2011
BRAVIS is a two-year project, funded via the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme within the'Research for the benefit of SMEs'scheme. This summary highlights the project's scope, progress during the first reporting period and consortium participants. Our new idea is to develop an unobtrusive technology that will enable navigation of any environment and recognition/interpretation of most visual stimuli. This will include:
-A wearable device that translates the ambient visual scene to a haptic transducer
-Development of a high-resolution, multi-function tactile display
-Development of a dual 3D and 2D optical imaging system
-Development of sophisticated image interpretation software that allows "visualisation" of both real world 3D scenes and 2D images (pictures and textual information)
Project results:
The BRAVIS project is primarily trying to resolve the problems in assisting navigation and how to usefully interact with the visually impaired user appropriately both dynamically during navigation and statically offline "at home". After going through an extensive research and interviewing stage with people with vision impairment from different age groups and demographic areas on various navigational problems, we came to the following conclusion:-
-BRAVIS navigation will focus on "Last 10 Metres Problem"
-BRAVIS will allow people with vision impairment to pre plan and review a route using the tactile display at home
-BRAVIS will enable people with vision impairment to navigate in an open space, which includes both indoor and outdoor navigation.
-BRAVIS design will be very much user centric and will support training of the system for new routes and destinations.
BRAVIS product is made of 3 main sub systems:
-Spectacles fitted with the miniature cameras and an audio feedback circuit.
-Receiver Unit to perform image processing and navigation and interact with the user via audio modality during navigation, and receive and transmit signals to the tactile display and audio output in a static situation.
-Tactile display.
We have achieved the following:
-Prototype Tactile Display-This work was completed as part of work package 3, work package 4 and work package 6. The prototype tactile display is currently under test. As a result of this achievement, we have completed deliverable D4. 1. The specification of the tactile display's electronics is presented in deliverable D4. 2 along with the specification for the Receiver Unit's electronics.
-Prototype 2D and 3D imaging software-This work has been partly completed as a part of work package 5. As a result of this achievement, we have completed part of deliverable D5. 1 and deliverable D5. 2. The deliverable 5. 1 and 5. 2 are due in month 20.
-Prototype camera system-This work was completed as part of work package 4 and work package 7. The prototype camera system can generate a 2D simple map and 3D point cloud with the help of software written as a part of work package 5. As a result of this achievement, we have partly completed deliverable D7. 1. This result gives us the necessary parameters required to specify the actual imaging sensors to be fitted on the spectacles. The specification of this stereo camera and its'electronics is written in deliverable D4. 2.
-Detailed Requirement and Specification-This work was completed as a part of work package 1 and work package 2. The requirement and specification document provides all the necessary information required to build the BRAVIS system from user, environmental and system's points of view. It clearly defines the requirements and characteristics for the overall BRAVIS system. It also clearly describes various technologies in the market available to people with vision impairment as well as the benefits and limitations associated with each. The work has been explained in detail in deliverables D1. 1, D1. 2, D2. 1 and D2. 2.
-Requirement and specification for stereoscope camera systemHowever, the project was suspended on December 24th 2010 and terminated before all the results were accomplished in full. The project was officially terminated by REA on 13th May 2011.
Potential Impact
The Project results were very good from the user's point of view. The overall product development was very user centric and committed to provide an efficient and user friendly navigational system to the blind user. With the current results we have already made big impact on the blind users which was very apparent with their support for the project. If the project could have been implemented and the BRAVIS consortium were allowed to continue the work then the blind people would have received an easy to use navigational tool that could have provided them independence, individuality, and freedom of movement. Which This in turn would have increased their employability chances in the job, improve the interaction with the people shrinking the social gaps.
From the economic point of view it would have reduced the cost of care takers by a good margin. The final tactile display prototype produced in the project will be useful for Blind user to read maps decoded for the blind users. The user will be able to sit at home and create a mental map of his navigational path before he sets off to his destination. The Project results would have achieved much higher impact on the European wide blind audience, if had it not been terminated at this stage.
Project Coordinator Organisation Name: BAUM Engineering srl
Project Coordinator Name: Dr. Paul Fogarassy-Neszly
Project Exploitation Organisation Name: Spiral Scratch Ltd
Project Exploitation Manager Name: Dr. Alastair Buchanan
Please visit our public website http://www.bravisfp7.com
Project website:
http://www.bravisfp7.com/
Project Title: Development of a Haptic Display and Vision System for the Blind
Duration: 16 September 2009-15 September 2011
BRAVIS is a two-year project, funded via the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme within the'Research for the benefit of SMEs'scheme. This summary highlights the project's scope, progress during the first reporting period and consortium participants. Our new idea is to develop an unobtrusive technology that will enable navigation of any environment and recognition/interpretation of most visual stimuli. This will include:
-A wearable device that translates the ambient visual scene to a haptic transducer
-Development of a high-resolution, multi-function tactile display
-Development of a dual 3D and 2D optical imaging system
-Development of sophisticated image interpretation software that allows "visualisation" of both real world 3D scenes and 2D images (pictures and textual information)
Project results:
The BRAVIS project is primarily trying to resolve the problems in assisting navigation and how to usefully interact with the visually impaired user appropriately both dynamically during navigation and statically offline "at home". After going through an extensive research and interviewing stage with people with vision impairment from different age groups and demographic areas on various navigational problems, we came to the following conclusion:-
-BRAVIS navigation will focus on "Last 10 Metres Problem"
-BRAVIS will allow people with vision impairment to pre plan and review a route using the tactile display at home
-BRAVIS will enable people with vision impairment to navigate in an open space, which includes both indoor and outdoor navigation.
-BRAVIS design will be very much user centric and will support training of the system for new routes and destinations.
BRAVIS product is made of 3 main sub systems:
-Spectacles fitted with the miniature cameras and an audio feedback circuit.
-Receiver Unit to perform image processing and navigation and interact with the user via audio modality during navigation, and receive and transmit signals to the tactile display and audio output in a static situation.
-Tactile display.
We have achieved the following:
-Prototype Tactile Display-This work was completed as part of work package 3, work package 4 and work package 6. The prototype tactile display is currently under test. As a result of this achievement, we have completed deliverable D4. 1. The specification of the tactile display's electronics is presented in deliverable D4. 2 along with the specification for the Receiver Unit's electronics.
-Prototype 2D and 3D imaging software-This work has been partly completed as a part of work package 5. As a result of this achievement, we have completed part of deliverable D5. 1 and deliverable D5. 2. The deliverable 5. 1 and 5. 2 are due in month 20.
-Prototype camera system-This work was completed as part of work package 4 and work package 7. The prototype camera system can generate a 2D simple map and 3D point cloud with the help of software written as a part of work package 5. As a result of this achievement, we have partly completed deliverable D7. 1. This result gives us the necessary parameters required to specify the actual imaging sensors to be fitted on the spectacles. The specification of this stereo camera and its'electronics is written in deliverable D4. 2.
-Detailed Requirement and Specification-This work was completed as a part of work package 1 and work package 2. The requirement and specification document provides all the necessary information required to build the BRAVIS system from user, environmental and system's points of view. It clearly defines the requirements and characteristics for the overall BRAVIS system. It also clearly describes various technologies in the market available to people with vision impairment as well as the benefits and limitations associated with each. The work has been explained in detail in deliverables D1. 1, D1. 2, D2. 1 and D2. 2.
-Requirement and specification for stereoscope camera systemHowever, the project was suspended on December 24th 2010 and terminated before all the results were accomplished in full. The project was officially terminated by REA on 13th May 2011.
Potential Impact
The Project results were very good from the user's point of view. The overall product development was very user centric and committed to provide an efficient and user friendly navigational system to the blind user. With the current results we have already made big impact on the blind users which was very apparent with their support for the project. If the project could have been implemented and the BRAVIS consortium were allowed to continue the work then the blind people would have received an easy to use navigational tool that could have provided them independence, individuality, and freedom of movement. Which This in turn would have increased their employability chances in the job, improve the interaction with the people shrinking the social gaps.
From the economic point of view it would have reduced the cost of care takers by a good margin. The final tactile display prototype produced in the project will be useful for Blind user to read maps decoded for the blind users. The user will be able to sit at home and create a mental map of his navigational path before he sets off to his destination. The Project results would have achieved much higher impact on the European wide blind audience, if had it not been terminated at this stage.
Project Coordinator Organisation Name: BAUM Engineering srl
Project Coordinator Name: Dr. Paul Fogarassy-Neszly
Project Exploitation Organisation Name: Spiral Scratch Ltd
Project Exploitation Manager Name: Dr. Alastair Buchanan
Please visit our public website http://www.bravisfp7.com
Project website:
http://www.bravisfp7.com/