2026-09-19T01:17:52Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1229912026-06-06T00:54:45Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
Daniela L. Rus and Igor Gilitschenski.
Zhong, Tim(Tim L.)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
2019-11-22T00:00:32Z
2019-11-22T00:00:32Z
2019
2019
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122991
1127290861
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2019
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 81-85).
In this thesis, I discuss the design, construction and evaluation of a wearable object detection system for blind users to avoid collisions. Blind people rely upon tools such as guide dogs to navigate the world around them. However, even guide dogs are prone to errors that leave their owners prone to unexpected collisions with objects, such as low-hanging branches and street signs, that may cause bodily harm. This work introduces a wearable device that provides object detection capabilities to blind people with guide dogs. The device contains a camera, an embedded computer and a vibration motor to provide feedback when an obstacle is detected. The system uses computer vision techniques to determine whether there are objects in the path of the user, as well as the distance of said objects. A series of experiments was conducted with guide dog users traversing a path of obstacles while using the device to determine the effectiveness of the device at allowing users to avoid collisions.
by Tim Zhong.
M.Eng.
M.Eng. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
85 pages
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.
http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
A wearable navigation system for augmenting guide dog object detection
Thesis
application/pdf
2019-11-22T00:00:31Z
Publication
Master
EECS
unknown
unknown
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<Abstract>In this thesis, I discuss the design, construction and evaluation of a wearable object detection system for blind users to avoid collisions. Blind people rely upon tools such as guide dogs to navigate the world around them. However, even guide dogs are prone to errors that leave their owners prone to unexpected collisions with objects, such as low-hanging branches and street signs, that may cause bodily harm. This work introduces a wearable device that provides object detection capabilities to blind people with guide dogs. The device contains a camera, an embedded computer and a vibration motor to provide feedback when an obstacle is detected. The system uses computer vision techniques to determine whether there are objects in the path of the user, as well as the distance of said objects. A series of experiments was conducted with guide dog users traversing a path of obstacles while using the device to determine the effectiveness of the device at allowing users to avoid collisions.</Abstract>
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