Computer Vision System for the Blind Veteran
Blindness
About this trial
This is an interventional supportive care trial for Blindness
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- age 18 and over
- legally blind
Exclusion Criteria:
- decreased hearing
- unable to understand or follow instructions
- inability to walk and stand for 10 minutes
Sites / Locations
- Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur
- Baltimore VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Experimental
Arm 1 initial system
Arm 2 modified system
8 blind subjects are asked to use a prototype computer vision system to determine the challenges facing computer vision based indoor navigation. Subjects are asked to travel through the hallways of a large hospital from the front entrance to a side entrance. The pathway consists of 9 segments including corners, four-way intersections, and doorways, and the total length of the route was approximately 200 meters. This challenging route was designed to stress the capabilities of the navigation system. It is a route that even sighted persons may find difficult to follow without practice. Pedestrian traffic was present throughout the route and lighting conditions could change in two of the segments where there were windows and doors.
The system is redesigned in response to problems identified from the first phase of the study. The redesigned system is tested by a second set of 8 blind subjects in the same indoor path as used in Arm 1.