A device for improving environmental perception for blind or visually impaired users, including a set of mechanical actuators intended to be in contact with the skin of a user, at least one digital camera designed to acquire a current digital image of an environment facing the user, a processing circuit connected to the camera for receiving pixel signals from the acquired digital image and converting at least one portion of the pixel signals into control signals, each of which powers a mechanical actuator of the set of actuators, an eye-tracking module for tracking each eye of the user to identify a gaze direction of the user. The processing circuit then selects, in the environment filmed by the camera, an area of acquired current image which is a function of the gaze direction and converts the pixel signals of said area into control signals, each of which powers an actuator of the set to stimulate the user's skin.

A route guidance and obstacle avoidance system for the visually impaired includes a main body assembly worn around the body of the user and a headset assembly worn around the head of the user. The system incorporates obstacle avoidance technology and navigation technology to generate a 3D audio output to a user so as to generate an audible virtual environment reflective of the physical environment of the user. The assemblies include line of sight sensors, a central processing unit, a navigation module, and a camera assembly. Obstacles are detected and classified with a location and distance, and are concurrently processed with real time navigation that is adjusted to instruct not only how to get to a location but also how to avoid obstacles.

A method for autonomous navigating along a given path includes storing at an autonomous navigation system locations associated with a given path; determining a current location of a user; calculating plural positions adjacent to the current location of the user; selecting one position of the plural positions that has a smallest error when compared to the locations associated with the given path; and instructing the user to move to the selected position.

A portable electronic navigational aid (104) e.g. for the blind (102), comprising a radio frequency, preferably millimeter wave, radar (218) with at least one transmitting (TX) channel and a plurality of receiving (RX) channels, at least one orientation sensor (220) configured to obtain data indicative of the orientation of the radar, and a processing element (210) configured to adaptively control (500, 602) the beamforming of the radar based on the data provided by the orientation sensor. A corresponding method is presented. An accessory, such as a replaceable cover, containing a radio frequency radar for attaching to an electronic host device is presented.

A portable pedestrian navigation system including a computing device, a proximity sensor and an output device. The proximity sensor and the output device are communicatively coupled to the computing device and the computing device is adapted for receiving environmental data at least from the proximity sensor. Based on the environmental data, A candidate guide entity near the pedestrian is identified. Based on the environmental data, the output device is used for guiding the pedestrian in accordance with a movement of the identified candidate guide entity as a selected guide entity.

A notification device includes a detector (20) configured to detect a physical object around a moving person, a relative position acquirer (302 and 304) configured to acquire a relative position with respect to the physical object for which the detector is designated as a base point, a storage (200) storing sound information in which sounds, which are emitted from a plurality of positions away from a predetermined recording point within a predetermined recording space, are pre-recorded for each of the plurality of positions and the recorded sounds are associated with relative positional relationships between the recording point and the plurality of positions; and a selector (308) configured to select the sound information associated with the relative position from the sound information stored in the storage on the basis of the relative positional relationship associated with the relative position acquired by the relative position acquirer. The notification device causes a generator to generate the sounds of the sound information selected by the selector to notify the moving person of information about the physical object detected by the detector.

A walking support device includes a shape detector configured to detect a shape of a road surface on which a user moves, and a display controller configured to provide an auxiliary image emphasizing an uneven state of the road surface such that the auxiliary image is superimposed on the shape of the road surface on the basis of a result of the detection of the shape detector.

A cane apparatus may include a body portion, a handle at a top end of the body portion, a proximity detector coupled to the body portion, an alert mechanism, and a processor communicatively coupled to the proximity detector and the alert mechanism. The processor may be configured to: determine, based on a signal received from the proximity detector, that the proximity detector is within a threshold distance of an obstacle; and based on the determination, activate the alert mechanism.

A foot sensor feedback device with multiple passive sensors in a shoe insole to provide real time feedback for a microprocessor to control a haptic device on the ankle of a person and to store and display data on an application on a smart phone to provide balance to a person while standing still or walking.

A method for providing information to a user, preferably including: determining environmental information; determining a set of features based on the information; determining output parameters based on the features; and controlling a sensory output system to generate outputs based on the output parameters. A sensory output device, preferably including a plurality of sensory output actuators. A system for providing information to a user, preferably including one or more: sensory output devices, sensors, and computing systems.