Navigate the world.
Sight unseen.
Sensed is a wearable system enabling blind and low vision commuters to make their way through a busy environment safely and independently.
Sensed utilizes sounds and haptic feedback to help users build a mental model of surroundings and gain more independence while traveling.
Why is non-visual navigation important?
The information we perceive when traveling allows us to gain situational awareness and make decisions about how to reach a destination safely. Much of the available information is visual, making this common task more challenging for more than 285 million people worldwide identified as having a vision disability. Sensed aims to fill in missing information in a format that improves the non-visual navigation experience.
We prepared our project for the 2020 Capstone Graduate Program at the University of Washington Human-Centered Design & Engineering.
Watch our video!
Design principles
We set out to create a solution with the blind community that empowers them to travel safely, easily, and independently. We developed a solution that is:
Compatible and complementary to existing blind and low-vision navigation methodologies (such as a white cane or guide dog)
Easy to learn, remember, and incorporate into daily life
Feasible to design and build with today’s technology
Able to provide tailored information based on specific users needs
Our solution features
Interactive Sunglasses
Sensed Sunglasses use bone-conduction headphones to transfer navigation and obstacle avoidance information to users without intruding on their hearing ability used for situational awareness.
Path-Guiding Bracelets
We created wristbands with built-in vibrational feedback to tell users which direction to turn through a discrete nudging toward a clear path that also can avoid upcoming obstacles.
Partner Integration
We leverage camera, microphone, and LiDAR technologies used for detection to enhance the experience of on-demand sighted assistance apps such as Aira & Be My Eyes.
Low-Vision Micromapping
We Integrate with cities to develop a continuously improving low-vision map database built from community sourced data to describe urban areas in depth.
Experience our solution virtually
Sensed creates a new way for the blind community to travel.
In order to create a safe environment to hear the sounds we deliver, we built a simulation game that allows obstacles avoidance and navigation to be experienced from your computer.
Next steps
Following our capstone, our team would like to take the next steps to improve our solution:
Research & Development
Personal diary studies where we can learn how users interact with our product.
Co-design scenarios and use cases to help identify gaps in the product.
Evaluate the features in a systematic way relative to scenarios.
Design & Prototyping
Develop physical prototypes that integrate sensors and feedback.
Further mature the feedback library.
Build the game in a VR environment for Rapid Feature testing.
Develop an on-boarding process to learn the sound library.
Testing & Improvements
Test sensors and feedback on the physical prototype in a controlled setting.
Test the sounds and features in real-world and VR commutes.
Evaluate and iterate the on-boarding process.