Assistive Technologies For The Blind: Review Of Studies

In 2012, there were two studies, Blind Navigation Support System Based on Microsoft Kinect [25] and Newly Blind Persons Using Virtual Environment System in a Traditional Orientation and Mobility Rehabilitation Program: A Case Study [26], worked in using wearable sensors to direct BVI people. In the study, the blind client wears a sensor near to his or her chest to permit it to take a suitable picture of the adjacent range and the pictures are pre-processed in genuine time by means of Wi-Fi. The technology accomplished high precision but it intensely relied on Wi-Fi, which isn't continuously accessible in buildings, and works slowly on processing pictures. Moreover, from the viewpoint of security and segregation, the in-situ aids are based for the most part on sound-related criticism, which in genuine space can distract users’ attention and confine them from the nearby space, particularly from sound-related data such as passing cars. The conclusion of these considers appeared that preplanning helps are regularly troublesome to get to, bear, and overhaul, which comes about in lower rates of utilization in regular life.

A new approach in 2014 by Iftekhar Anam, Shahinur Alam, and Mohammed Yasin [27], where researchers created an application utilizing Google Glass to encourage social interaction for blind individuals. The key work of the framework is to empower the user to see social signals amid a common (non-verbal behaviors (face-to-face discussion). The research study focuses on creating a framework that can identify facial appearance, highlights, and behavioral expressions to supply real-time criticism of non-verbal prompts to blind individuals amid their social intuitive. In this framework, an picture of the user is captured and his or her facial highlights are analyzed. At that point, the user’s facial expression is predicted and returned utilizing Google Glass within the frame of speech to the blind individual. A recent approach in the study An Assistive Indoor Navigation System for the Visually Impaired in Multi-Floor Environments, 2017 [28], defined an inventive wearable system that progresses the objective of proficiently making a difference visually disabled individuals explore the surrounding area in new environments. It combined techniques from robotics with implementation of human-computer interaction which functioned consistently with a blind user’s capabilities to deliver a seamless, efficient, and enjoyable experience to the user. The footpath provided to the BVI person has been pruned efficiently to reduce the number of instructions provided to the user. The system tests have been successful but it is still in the developmental stages and has not officially for sale in the market.

As mentioned in Saudi Ophthalmology Conference publications in 2013 [16], modern technology has gained a lot of equipment, tools, and programs for people with visual disabilities, enabling the members of this group to manage their affairs independently. But their high cost and the monopoly of their import by a few companies remains a barrier to many people. An interesting case to support this publication is the results of Vision Impairment and Major Causes of Vision Loss Impacts on Vision-Specific Functioning Independent of Socioeconomic Factors, 2018 [29]. The pedestrian audible signs, which give a capability of being heard tone to show it is secure to cross the road, have both solid advocates and solid restriction. One steady opinion of numerous people who are BVI, who are connected with the study, is that there is a solid hesitance to become critically dependent on a piece of innovation that may be slow and costly to repair or replace in real life. 2. 3 SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION A lot of research was conducted to invent assistive technologies for the blind. This literature discussed the main purposes of these previous works related to this project and indicates the limitation within the field. Although there have been many technology-based studies that have examined the impact of BVI and major functions related to quality of life, there is still more to be done. As the results have shown in (2. 2. 1), about 90% of people with visual impairment are living in low-income countries. Studies are needed to find cost-efficient blind assistives which address the simple aspects of daily life.

The newest technologies are not widely effective because the majority of blind in the world today can not afford these assistives. There still exists major gaps in the literature in studying challenges faced by Arab BVI in their daily life. In addition, the existing Arabic devices are limited, and studies for further development of simple products are limited as well for individuals who are BVI. Also, most of the perception research to date has been limited to sighted individuals. Further research with individuals who are BVI is important to ascertain any similarities or differences between CB and LB individuals in terms of visual experience, which can improve in educational aspects for example. Finally, future research should examine additional daily challenges and lifestyles of the blind by studying CB and LB behaviors in different contexts, such as home, school, hospital, mall, and workplace.