A handheld electro-mechanical walking aid operably configured to detect objects or obstacles in an ambient environment and guide the user away from the detected obstacles and comprising a handle member for grasping, an electronic motor assembly, a cantilevered guide arm member operably coupled to at least one electronic motor and having an arm weight and a concentrated weight of at least approximately 0.2 lbs, at least one of a distance sensor and a camera operably configured to detect objects spatially displaced from a second free end of the arm member, and an electronic controller operably configured to receive detection of the objects spatially displaced from the second free end and cause selective rotation of the arm member in a direction away from the detected objects to generate a deviation angle θ, thereby causing an impetus to the user holding the handle member through a torque generated by the arm weight.

A method is disclosed as including sending, to a remote server, information identifying a first location within a building. In response to such sending, data may be received from the remote server. The data may comprise a plurality of unique identifiers, each unique identifier thereof corresponding to a unique radio tag located in a unique location within the building. The data may be used to deliver to a user a first series of audible commands guiding the user within the building toward the first location. For example, a first radio transmission may be received from a first radio tag located within the building. The first radio transmission may communicate a first identifier that is associated within the data to first navigation information. Thus, the first navigation information may be used to guide the user within the building toward the first location.

An intersection blind-guiding system includes: a blind-guiding terminal, a plurality of blind road sensors, and a processor configured to be coupled to the blind road sensors. The blind-guiding terminal includes a blind-guiding terminal sensor configured to transmit a sensing signal. The blind road sensors include at least one first blind road sensor and at least one second blind road sensor. The blind road sensors are configured to separately receive the sensing signal transmitted by the blind-guiding terminal sensor, and upload corresponding sensing information. The processor is configured to receive the sensing information uploaded by the blind road sensors, locate a current position of a blind person carrying the blind-guiding terminal, determine a direction in which the blind person previously traveled, determine geographic distribution information of the current position of the blind person, and send a command carrying the geographical distribution information.

A navigation system for a blind individual to guide the individual through a virtual environment, includes a transponder adapted to be carried by the individual, a tracking system for determining the position of said transponder within the virtual environment, and a feedback system coupled to said transponder to generate a non-visual sensory signal indicative of said position of said transponder. The transponder has a primary sensor direction that is aimed by the individual, and the non-visual sensory signal provides indications of virtual objects aligned with said primary sensor direction, whereby the individual may be guided to find or avoid virtual objects in said virtual environment.

When a frontmost white line of a crosswalk cannot be detected due to an obstacle existing on the crosswalk, an edge position of the obstacle closer to a pedestrian in an image acquired by a camera is set as the frontmost white line of the crosswalk. As a result, a vibration generation device vibrates in a pattern that urges the pedestrian to stop at the time when the pedestrian reaches a position before the edge position of the obstacle closer to the pedestrian, so that a stop notification for walking can be appropriately performed to the pedestrian even when the obstacle exists on the crosswalk.

It is determined whether a traffic light is recognized in an image based on each of a result of a recognition operation by a traffic light first recognition unit (a recognition operation of the traffic light for an image acquired by a camera using a learned model based on pre-annotated data) and a result of a recognition operation by a traffic light second recognition unit (a recognition operation of the traffic light for an image acquired by the camera based on a feature amount of the traffic light). This makes it possible to sufficiently obtain the recognition accuracy of the traffic light, and to appropriately perform an instruction to a pedestrian according to the state of the traffic light.

In a mobility support device, an external device that is present on a moving route of a user who is a target of support is identified based on a set moving plan, and first communication means that enables direct communication between the identified external device and a white cane carried by the user is established. Then, support information for supporting mobility of the user is generated based on information received from the external device by the first communication means, and the generated support information is output to an output device.

A smart walking stick made up of main parcels including the upper body forming the upper body and the lower body elements forming the lower body. With the aim of positioning the hand correctly for the visually impaired user, sensors are provided, which contain technological elements such as soft-grip upper gripping surface and the lower gripping surface, touch mouse, vibration motors and a smart module that allows the user freedom of movement. A folding bar forms the stick portion of the movement-releasing smart walking stick which can be replaced by a snap-fit method, with the motion-liberating smart walking stick this allows the visually impaired user to easily, safely and comfortably navigate with location information, which increases the freedom of movement, to detect and protect the obstacles in front of the movement, and to maintain a more ergonomic life.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described that are configured for determining a path of an apparatus, engaging a motor to cause the apparatus to proceed along the path, receiving one or more of LIDAR data, ultrasonic data, or optical flow data, determining, based on one or more of the LIDAR data, the ultrasonic data, or the optical flow data, one or more objects in the path of the apparatus, and engaging the motor to cause the apparatus to avoid the one or more objects.

Provided are systems and methods for improving movement irregularities.