Abstract :
Blindness is one of the world’s biggest issues. According to the recent data of World Health Organization (WHO),
39 million of world’s population is blind. World Health Organization (WHO) developed many polices, techniques
and strategies to prevent blindness. Another organization is developed with the name World Access for the Blind
under the leadership of Daniel Kish who is also a blind person but uses a technique of echolocation called flash
sonar. Our idea is based on sensory substitution in which one sensory loss is substituted by the other. We proposed
an innovative rehabilitation prototype device that uses a sonar sensor and a bone conduction speaker to perform
and enhance the ability of human echolocation. The rehabilitation period can be longer and can vary from person to
person. Furthermore we have also installed a smart system that can perform object detection and image to speech
synthesis using Python with the help of smartphone camera during a live video streaming. Hence, this prototype
device can navigate, echolocate and detect object in its environment. The proposed system is verified through
different environmental inputs and objects. The proposed technique allows the blind individuals to perceive through
ears and let them perform echolocation at the same time.
Keyword :
Blindness, blind aid, echolocation technique, rehabilitation,, object detection, artificial intelligence