A Proposal of a Motion Measurement System to Support Visually Impaired People in Rehabilitation Using Low-Cost Inertial Sensors

The rehabilitation of a visually impaired person (VIP) is a systematic process where the person is provided with tools that allow them to deal with the impairment to achieve personal autonomy and independence, such as training for the use of the long cane as a tool for orientation and mobility (O&am...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 23; no. 7; p. 848
Main Authors:	Reyes Leiva, Karla Miriam, Jaén-Vargas, Milagros, Cuba, Miguel Ángel, Lara, Sergio Sánchez, Olmedo, José Javier Serrano
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Basel MDPI AG 01-07-2021 MDPI
Subjects:	absolute orientation Accuracy Blindness Gait recognition Inertial sensing devices inertial sensors Low cost orientation and mobility Parameters People with disabilities Position measurement Programming languages Quality of life Radio frequency identification Rehabilitation Sensors Sweeping Visual impairment visually impaired rehabilitation
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Summary:	The rehabilitation of a visually impaired person (VIP) is a systematic process where the person is provided with tools that allow them to deal with the impairment to achieve personal autonomy and independence, such as training for the use of the long cane as a tool for orientation and mobility (O&M). This process must be trained personally by specialists, leading to a limitation of human, technological and structural resources in some regions, especially those with economical narrow circumstances. A system to obtain information about the motion of the long cane and the leg using low-cost inertial sensors was developed to provide an overview of quantitative parameters such as sweeping coverage and gait analysis, that are currently visually analyzed during rehabilitation. The system was tested with 10 blindfolded volunteers in laboratory conditions following constant contact, two points touch, and three points touch travel techniques. The results indicate that the quantification system is reliable for measuring grip rotation, safety zone, sweeping amplitude and hand position using orientation angles with an accuracy of around 97.62%. However, a new method or an improvement of hardware must be developed to improve gait parameters’ measurements, since the step length measurement presented a mean accuracy of 94.62%. The system requires further development to be used as an aid in the rehabilitation process of the VIP. Now, it is a simple and low-cost technological aid that has the potential to improve the current practice of O&M.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1099-4300 1099-4300
DOI:	10.3390/e23070848