Navigation Aid for the Blind P 12015 Faculty

Navigation Aid for the Blind P 12015 Faculty Guide: Clientele: Dr. De. Bartolo Blind and hard of hearing individuals Team Members: (from left) Project Description: Bob Evans Electrical Engineer David Sachenik Electrical Engineer Jackson Lamp Computer Engineer David Yip Electrical Engineer Ben Davidson Mechanical Engineer Rob Steigerwald Industrial Systems Engineer Konrad Ahlin Mechanical Engineer Navigating unfamiliar buildings can be difficult for a vision/hearing-impaired individual. While room numbers are usually in Braille only about ten percent of blind individuals read Braille. Additionally, floor maps are usually not in relief and thus impossible for the blind to read. The purpose of this project was to develop a handheld navigation system for vision/hearing-impaired individuals. The device uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags to calculate positions and the quickest routes to destinations. Project Requirements: • Charge in less than 8 hours • Interchangeable battery • Commands to user must be non-visual • Device generates less than 50 d. B noise • Attachment time less than one minute • Impact resistant • Lightweight • Hands free • Reliable Electrical Design Central Processing Unit MSP 430 F 5438 A Microcontroller Determines Heading of User LSM 303 DLH Magnetometer Determines Location of User Skye. Tek Skye. Module M 9 RFID Reader Power Source Polymer Lithium Ion Battery – 1000 m. Ah RFID Reader Antenna Hyper. Link Wireless 8 d. Bi Flat Patch Antenna User Input Device 3 x 4 Numerical Matrix Keypad Defines Locations Within Building Alien-Higgs Passive RFID Tags 840 -960 MHz Provides Feedback to User Precision Microdrives 10 mm Vibration Motors 400 m. A PCB Design Layout Software Design Two Step Navigation Process: Path Finding and Path Following • Path finding algorithm is an implementation on Dijkstra’s algorithm • Path following algorithm interprets the data found from the path finding algorithm to guide the user to their destination. Management of Peripheral Devices: • Custom Interface for Keypad • SPI Interface for RFID Reader • I 2 C Interface for Magnetometer • PWM Output for Vibration Motors Mechanical Design Main Case: • Slide allows for easy battery access • Top cover holds keypad in place • Main body holds PCB, RFID reader, and battery in place Motor Cases: • Transmits vibrations • Allows offset mass to rotate Belt Enclosure: • Ergonomically designed • Properly secures components This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. BES-0527358. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.