i-Cane (get it??

1
i-Cane (get it?? eye-cane)

• Brian Loo (bloo)
• Zane Starr (zcs)
• Geeta Shroff (gshroff)

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Concept

• Intelligent Cane (i-Cane)
• Assistive technology for the visually impaired
• Indoor navigation system
• Map loaded onto device through Bluetooth
• RFID tagged path read by cane
• Communicated to user via text to speech software
  on device

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Motivation I

• Some stats
• 11 million people in USA with visual
  related disabilities
• 2 million with severe visual impairment
• Navigation Independence major problem area
• Indoor navigation vs Outdoor navigation
• Especially in new buildings/places, unfamiliar
  public areas

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Motivation II

• Now a visually impaired person has to be led
  around new environments until they are
  comfortable with the area.
• With our system anyone may use voice prompts to
  lead themselves around an area which has been
  tagged.

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Competitive Analysis

• SWAN System
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Navigation Prompts - small laptop, GPS,
  headphones, proton pack
• iCane A Partner for the Visually Impaired
• National Taiwan University
• Navigation Guide - White cane, PDA, RFID,
  Bluetooth
• Smart Cane
• University of Malaya
• Obstacle detection "bat technology" that sends
  out ultrasound signals

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Tech Specs

• Gumstix (compact motherboard)
• Xm400-bt (w/ bluetooth module)
• MMC to store tag database
• High Frequency RFID sensor
• 13.56 MHz
• High Frequency RFID tags
• Passive (does not require batteries)
• Bluetooth enabled headset

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Functional Requirements

• Download database and map via Bluetooth (want)
• Receive command by voice to text (expect)
• Reliably detects passive RFID tags (expect)
• Determine location of tag through database
  (expect)
• Provide directions by text to voice (expect)

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Non-Functional

• Read tags reliably with small (4) antenna for
  portability
• Search database for tag within 2 seconds
• Perform route calculation within 2 seconds
• Find shortest path to destination

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Next steps

• Talk to Dan again for further input
• Possibly look into other assistive technologies
• Possibly take a different route