{"id":27136,"date":"2020-12-12T21:07:46","date_gmt":"2020-12-12T19:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cornay.co.za\/wp\/?p=27136"},"modified":"2020-12-12T21:07:46","modified_gmt":"2020-12-12T19:07:46","slug":"giving-blind-runners-independence-with-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cornay.co.za\/wp\/2020\/12\/12\/giving-blind-runners-independence-with-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving Blind Runners Independence With AI"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being able to see, move, and exercise independently is something most of us take for granted. [Thomas Panek] was an avid runner before losing his sight due to a genetic condition, and had to rely on other humans and guide dogs to run again. After challenging attendants at a Google hackathon, Project Guideline was established to give blind runners (or walkers) independence from a cane, dog or another human, while exercising outdoors<\/a>. Using a smartphone with line following AI software, and bone conduction headphones, users can be guided along a path with a line painted on it. You need to watch the video below to get a taste of just how incredible it is for the users.<\/p>\n

Getting a wheeled robot to follow a line is relatively simple, but a running human is by no means a stable sensor platform. At the previously mentioned hackathon, developers put together a rough proof of concept with a smartphone, using its camera to recognize a painted line on the ground and provide left\/right audio cues.\u00a0 As the project developed, the smartphone was attached to a waist belt and bone conduction headphones were used,\u00a0 which don’t affect audio situational awareness as much as normal headphones.<\/p>\n

The shaking and side to side movement of running, and varying light conditions and visual obstructions in the outdoors made the problem more difficult to solve, but within a year the developers had completed successful running tests with [Thomas] on a well-lit indoor track and an outdoor pedestrian path with a temporary line. For the first time in 25 years, [Thomas] was able to run independently.<\/p>\n

While guide dogs have proven effective for both daily life and running, they cost approximately $60000 over an average working life of 8 years, putting them out of reach of many sight-impaired people around the world. Project Guideline is still in the early stages, and real-world problems like obstacles and traffic still need to be addressed, but there is massive potential.<\/p>\n

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