IBM unveils app to help visually impaired users maintain distance in lines

IBM unveils app to help visually impaired users maintain distance in lines

This smartphone app helps blind people stand in socially distanced lines

During the pandemic, everyone is expected to stay socially distanced, with at least six feet between them and the person in front of them. For those with normal vision, standing in line while remaining at a safe distance from the person in front of you isn’t a problem. However, for the blind or visually impaired, maintaining an appropriate distance can be a challenge. A team of IBM researchers have created an AI-driven smartphone application called LineChaser to solve this problem.

How does the app function?

The app is designed to help blind or visually impaired people find the end of the line and continuously report the distance and direction of the last person in line so the user can follow them easily. The app uses the RGB camera integrated into the smartphone and detects nearby pedestrians. It also leverages the integrated infrared depth sensor to estimate their position.

How does the user get notified when to move in a line?

Combined, the data estimates whether nearby pedestrians are standing in line and audio and vibration signals notify the user when they should start or stop moving forward.

Has IBM developed similar systems for the blind or visually impaired?

IBM researchers note this isn’t the first time they’ve worked on systems to help solve problems for the visually impaired. Last year they created a system that relied on LiDAR and RGB-D camera devices to create the AI Suitcase. That device was a suitcase-style navigation robot designed to guide the visually impaired around the city independently, intended to help them stand in lines, among other things. The goal of the new study was to simplify and reduce the size of the assistive device using an off-the-shelf smartphone.

How successful was the study?

IBM researchers trialed the system with participants who had various visual difficulties, and the app helped everyone. Using the app, users were able to successfully find the end of the line in the appropriate position, indicating that LineChaser can help blind users correctly stand in a line. The app was able to help the user stop at an acceptable position 91.7 percent of the time.

IBM notes the trial participants who tested LineChaser had various visual difficulties, but the app “successfully enabled” everyone to both find and follow a line. “They all successfully found the end of a line at appropriate positions, indicating that LineChaser can navigate a blind user properly to the end of a line,” the company stated in a blog post. One of the challenges with the development is that smartphones need to ensure they come equipped with IR Blaster. IBM says it hopes that acceptance of the use of camera devices in public spaces will improve over time.

Is the app currently available?

The LineChaser app is not yet available on Google Play or Apple’s App Store, but the company plans to share more details on its availability. A commercial rollout could be highly useful, at a time, when everyone is advised to follow strict social distancing rules to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.