Blind Navigation Using Magnetic Anomaly Detection Augmented with Inertial Sensors

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Koronis Biomedical Technology Corporation (KBT) proposes to develop an indoor wayfinding device utilizing a novel indoor location technology based on magnetic anomaly detection, and augmented with inertial dead-reckoning technology. Unique magnetic anomaly distributions exist within modern man- made structures and have been demonstrated to be temporally stable and have spatial and magnetic strength properties that enable their use as the basis for an indoor location technology. By comparing the readings of a small body-worn magnetometer to a stored electronic map of the anomalies, indoor location can be inferred without the requirement of dedicated infrastructure. KBT believes that augmenting magnetic anomaly detection with inertial dead-reckoning technology will produce a more robust solution and will reduce the computational complexity of the location algorithms enabling the system to run on modest mobile platforms. In this phase I SBIR program, KBT proposes to develop a small indoor personal navigation aid to support blind/low-vision travel based on the fusion of these two technologies. The commercialization of such a device would have immediate benefit on the independence and quality of life for a large market segment of our society, as the World Health Organization estimates over 12 million U.S. citizens have some form of uncorrected vision loss, with these projections doubling by the year 2030. In this phase I SBIR project, KBT will develop a production- ready personal navigation device that supports indoor route guidance and location-based information. A key advantage of our approach is that our device does not require building modifications and will be developed around an existing commercial assistive technology platform. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The goal of this project is to develop a personal indoor navigation device using magnetic anomaly detection augmented with dead-reckoning technology.