A software application and system may be configured to enable a smartphone or other device to be used by a visually impaired person to receive voice navigation guidance during a directed exploration of an area. Directed exploration uses combinations of location data, directional data, and orientation data from the configured device to determine a direction that user wishes to explore, and only providing narrated results for streets, businesses, and other points of interest in that direction. The system may also utilize sets of wireless indicators positioned within indoor areas to provide accurate positioning to particular locations and floors within buildings.

A movement assistance apparatus to be provided in a movement assistance device and configured to execute a movement assistance operation for assisting movement of a user includes a mode switching control unit configured to switch, based on a magnitude of a surrounding risk on the movement of the user, a power mode between a normal mode in which the movement assistance operation is executable and a power saving mode in which a power consumption is smaller than a power consumption in the normal mode. A condition for setting the power mode to the power saving mode includes a condition that the surrounding risk satisfies a predetermined low-risk condition.

An assistive feedback device is described herein and includes an array of vibrotactile actuators and thermal units affixed on a flexible casing that can be worn around the forearm. The vibrotactile actuators are used for obstacle detection by using a customizable encoding format. The directional cues for navigation are provided using the thermal units in a customizable format.

A method and apparatus for recognizing walking information using multiple magnetic sensors are provided. The method for recognizing walking information comprises generating a magnetic sensing signal from magnetic paint applied to a ground, generating a frequency-converted signal using the magnetic sensing signal, and generating walking information using the frequency-converted signal.

A method and apparatus for recognizing walking information using multiple magnetic sensors are provided. The method for recognizing walking information comprises generating a magnetic sensing signal from magnetic paint applied to a ground, generating a frequency-converted signal using the magnetic sensing signal, and generating walking information using the frequency-converted signal.

A cane tip has a first roller and second roller, each roller having a semispherical exterior surface with a peripheral edge surface having a circular configuration. The peripheral edge surfaces are designed to engage with and roll over a support surface when the cane tip is being moved forwardly and rearwardly to reduce impact forces from being transmitted up the cane to the user's hand and arm. The spherical exterior surfaces are designed to engage with and roll over the support surface when the cane tip is moved from side to side while reducing impact forces from traveling up the cane to the hand and arm of a user of the cane tip.

A garment with prepositioned, definite sensory stimulating devices attached. These sensory stimulating devices include, but are not limited to, electrical stimulation, audio and physical stimulation such as localised force generation, compression, constriction, vibration, and surround sound. Predetermined and defined actuators allow the wearer to receive tissue, nerve and/or muscle stimulation and/or contraction so that the stimulation is precise as determined by its ability to conform to the scientific methodology of repeatability, reproducibility and reliability; this being due to consistency of actuator positioning in one or multiple locals on the human body. A personal surround sound can also be integrated to the garment to ensure the wearer is always in the optimal position relative the speakers. These actuators can be force generators within the garment for the wearer to feel impact or apparatus or electrodes included in the garment to locally constrict and increase pressure on the wearer.

A method for guiding a blind, an electronic device, a storage medium and a blind guide product, and related to the technical field of navigation are provided. The method includes: acquiring Beidou satellite data and base station differential data, and determining location information of a user by using a carrier phase differential technology; in response to a blind guide request, generating a blind guide route according to current location information and destination information input by the user; and broadcasting a voice prompt based on the blind guide route. The location accuracy of a user is improved, and blind guide requirements for a complex road section can be met, thereby improving the travel safety for the user.

A system and apparatus for a mobility cane for the visually impaired to help aid pedestrian identification and provide walking assistance are described. The disclosed embodiments describe, amongst other things, a mobility cane whose shaft length may be illuminated and/or may utilize sensor information to determine illumination patterns. The cane may be a stand-alone device, or may be used in conjunction with a smart mobile device (e.g. smart phone).

Method, systems, and apparatus to facilitate navigation in a known environment. Communication and tracking between a receiver device and one or more beacons are provided to identify a current position of the receiver device. A direction to a next waypoint of a current path is determined based on the identified current position and a haptic feedback system is signaled to provide continuous haptic feedback to orient a user in the identified direction.