VIP SpaceNav – smart buildings for people with visual impairments.

People with visual impairments have difficulties in navigating indoor spaces and identifying elements of interest in the environment. There are a plethora of assistive systems that address this problem, but most of them are either expensive, depend on specialized hardware or lack intuitiveness. VIP...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology Vol. 20; no. 6; pp. 1921 - 1940
Main Authors: Băluțoiu, Maria-Anca, Morar, Anca, Moldoveanu, Alin, Lăpușteanu, Andrei, Moldoveanu, Florica, Anghel, Ana Magdalena
Format: pictorial tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Aug2025
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      jtl: Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology
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      dt: Aug2025
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      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
      place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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        10.1080/17483107.2025.2478484
        187408898
      ppf: 1921
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        atl: VIP SpaceNav – smart buildings for people with visual impairments.
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        au:
          Băluțoiu, Maria-Anca
          Morar, Anca
          Moldoveanu, Alin
          Lăpușteanu, Andrei
          Moldoveanu, Florica
          Anghel, Ana Magdalena
        affil: Department of Computers, Faculty of Automatic Control and Computers, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
      sug:
        subj:
          Assistive Technology Devices
          Software Design
          Persons with Visual Disabilities Psychosocial Factors
          Models, Structural
          Mobile Applications
          Sound Localization
          Smartphone
          Graphics
          Stair Climbing
          Cues
          Sound
          Feedback
      ab: People with visual impairments have difficulties in navigating indoor spaces and identifying elements of interest in the environment. There are a plethora of assistive systems that address this problem, but most of them are either expensive, depend on specialized hardware or lack intuitiveness. VIP SpaceNav is a platform for low-cost, intuitive configuration and safe navigation, intended for people with visual impairments. The system's content management system stores a 3D model of the building, together with localization information and elements of interest. The mobile application dedicated to users with visual impairments runs a localization component, as well as an obstacle detection module, providing navigation cues and information about points of interest in the vicinity, with the help of text-to-speech and audio signals. This paper presents a concept of indoor guidance for people with visual impairments and a first materialization of the prototype, based on state-of-the-art localization and spatial sounds. It also describes the piloting of the system in complex scenarios in a real building, demonstrating its potential of deployment in any indoor space, with minimal financial and time resources. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: VIP SpaceNav is a platform for low-cost, intuitive configuration and safe navigation, intended for visually impaired people. The mobile application dedicated to visually impaired users provides navigation cues and information about points of interest in the vicinity, with the help of text-to-speech and audio signals. With VIP SpaceNav, any building can become an accessible location for VIPs, where the position and route to any element of interest is indicated.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        pictorial
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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