A system may include one or more image sensors, an ear worn device, and a controller. The one or more image sensors may be configured to sense optical information of an environment and produce image data indicative of the sensed optical information. The ear-worn device may include a housing wearable by a user, an acoustic transducer including at least one driver to generate sound, and a controller comprising one or more processors. The controller may be operatively coupled to the image sensor and the ear-worn device. The controller may be configured to receive the image data, determine a field of attention of the user using the image data, detect an object outside of the field of attention using the image data, determine whether to alert the user of the detected object, and provide an alert indicative of the detected object, if it is determined to alert the user.

A movement support system for a physically disabled person comprises: movement support tool; a plurality of passage units; and control apparatus. The movement support tool comprises: magnetically attractive part; non-contact tag part; reception part; input part; output part; and control part. The passage unit comprises: electromagnet part, non-contact reading part, transmission part, and control part. The control apparatus acquires the destination information and the user ID from the movement support tool; acquires the user ID and the position information from the first passage unit closest to the movement support tool; and calculates route from the position information to the destination information; generates guidance based on the route and position information; outputs the generated guidance from the movement support tool; and controls each of the electromagnet part of the plurality of passage units so as to attract (pull) the magnetically attractive part in traveling direction of the route.

There is presented a system and method for providing real-time object recognition to a remote user. The system comprises a portable communication device including a camera, at least one client-server host device remote from and accessible by the portable communication device over a network, and a recognition database accessible by the client-server host device or devices. A recognition application residing on the client-server host device or devices is capable of utilizing the recognition database to provide real-time object recognition of visual imagery captured using the portable communication device to the remote user of the portable communication device. In one embodiment, a sighted assistant shares an augmented reality panorama with a visually impaired user of the portable communication device where the panorama is constructed from sensor data from the device.

A wearable gait detection device, a walking ability improvement system and a wearable gait detection system detect manifestation in a brain based on the wearer's gait and preventive measures. A load measurement part measures a load of a sole of the wearer's feet, a foot movement detection part at the shoes detects acceleration and/or angular velocity during feet movement, a centroid position calculation part calculates a centroid position of the feet based on changes in measured load, a movement locus calculation part calculates a movement locus of the feet based on acceleration and/or angular velocity detected by the foot movement detection part, a manifestation recognition part recognizes manifestation in the brain according to a specificity of centroid fluctuation of the feet based on the calculated centroid position and movement locus of the feet, and a sensory output part feeds back a sensation to the wearer based on a recognition result.

Systems and methods relating to displaying images are disclosed. In one embodiment, sensor data is received via one or more sensors of a wearable head device comprising a display, the sensor data indicative of a surrounding environment of a user of the wearable head device. An image can be determined based on the sensor data, the image corresponding to the surrounding environment. A visibility of a first portion of the image corresponding to a first portion of the surrounding environment can be enhanced. Enhancing a visibility of a second portion of the image corresponding to a second portion of the surrounding environment can be forgone. The enhanced first portion of the image and a view of the second portion of the surrounding environment can be presented concurrently via the display of the wearable head device.

An alert level of an operation for issuing an alert to a driver of a bicycle is set high in a case where a determination is made that the driver of the bicycle that approaches a pedestrian is unaware of a presence of the pedestrian, as compared with a case where a determination is made that the driver is aware of the presence of the pedestrian. For example, the alert level is increased by increasing an amount of light of a laser beam in a case where a circle having a predetermined radius is drawn by the laser beam on a road surface from a white cane owned by the pedestrian who is a person who is visually impaired.

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 of navigating a visually impaired user, a navigation system and a guiding robot used in the system. The method includes the steps of: receiving a plurality of location referencing signals from a plurality of signal sources; processing the location referencing signals to determine a current location of the user in a predetermined area; planning an optimal path for the user to travel from the current location to a destination location; providing guiding information associated with the optimal path to the user; obtaining a travel instruction from the user to travel along the optimal path; and moving a guiding robot according to the travel instruction provided by the user along the optimal path until the next travel instruction is required to further move the guiding robot.

A movement support device is provided, which early recognize a possibility of contact of a user with a moving body and perform an appropriate movement support operation according to the recognition. It is determined whether there is a possibility of contact of a vehicle with a white cane while maintaining a distance from the vehicle based on a relative position relationship with the vehicle, which is recognized by images from a camera, and a change thereof. When it is determined that there is a possibility of contact, the movement support operation is performed. Thus, the possibility of contact of the vehicle with the user can be early recognized, and when there is a possibility of contact, the movement support operation according to the actual situation can be immediately started, which results in an appropriate acquisition of a start timing of the movement support operation.

The present invention relates to an eye guide. The eye guide has an attachment means for locating the eye guide on a wearer and an elongate marker arranged to extend from the attachment means so as to be visible in peripheral field view by the wearer.