Wearable Navigation Device Haptic Guidance Obstacle Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Legacy travel assistance systems rely on network-accessible maps that are not updated with real-time changes, fail to identify obstacles, and pose risks to users, especially those with impairments, as they rely on visual aids and do not provide detailed navigation information in smaller units or account for environmental factors.
Innovation Solution
A travel assistance system using wearable personal navigation devices that communicate with beacons to provide sensory directions through touch or audio, incorporating data on obstacles, weather, and user preferences to guide users safely and efficiently, even in low visibility conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If network-accessible maps are used for navigation, then route guidance is provided, but the maps are not updated with real-time changes and fail to identify obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-maps obstacles and path conditions using sensors (LIDAR, cameras, ultrasonic sensors) before navigation begins. This preliminary detection and mapping of obstacles ensures that real-time obstacle information is available before the user starts traveling, resolving the contradiction between using static maps and having real-time obstacle awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously updates navigation information by feeding back sensor data about obstacles and path conditions to the navigation processor. This feedback loop ensures that the navigation system remains current with real-time changes in the environment, maintaining navigation accuracy while providing up-to-date obstacle information.
2Ease of operation
If visual representations are used for navigation, then directions are provided, but visual aids may distract users and do not provide detailed information in smaller units
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces visual mechanical displays with haptic feedback mechanisms (vibrating motors, pressure sensors) and audio outputs. This substitution provides navigation guidance through touch and sound rather than sight, eliminating visual distraction while maintaining ease of operation through multi-sensory feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional visual map representations to three-dimensional haptic feedback and spatial audio cues. This dimensional change allows users to perceive navigation information through touch and sound in space, providing detailed guidance without the distracting nature of visual displays.
3Adaptability or versatility
If legacy travel assistance systems are used, then basic route guidance is provided, but they do not account for environmental factors such as weather and obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates multiple sensor types (LIDAR, cameras, ultrasonic sensors, weather sensors) that serve multiple functions: detecting obstacles, mapping path conditions, and monitoring environmental factors like weather. This multi-functionality enables the system to adapt to various environmental conditions while maintaining safety through comprehensive environmental awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary environmental assessment by detecting and mapping obstacles and path conditions before navigation begins. This advance preparation ensures that environmental factors are accounted for in the route planning, improving both adaptability to environmental conditions and safety by identifying hazards before the user encounters them.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatuses, systems and methods associated with a travel assistance system. A wearable personal navigation device may include a communication system, an indicator, and a processor coupled to the communication system and the indicator. The processor may be configured to generate a request for a navigation path from a location to a destination and transmit the request to a node of the network. The processor may be configured to determine the direction of travel from the location of the user based on a first navigation path received from the node of the network in response to the request, wherein the first navigation path includes at least one modification from a second navigation path, wherein the modification is based on data received by the network from a remote device that indicates an object, and cause the indicator to indicate the direction of travel. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.