Cloud Anchors-Based Localization in a Navigation System for Visually Impaired People

This paper describes an augmented reality (AR) platform for rapid configuration of indoor spaces and safe navigation for visually impaired people (VIP). The system comprises a configuration application, intended for space administrators, and a navigation application that is used by VIP. During the configuration stage, the building administrators configure the space by placing Cloud Anchors in the environment. During the navigation phase, the localization component computes the user’s position relative to the previously configured anchors. The current paper presents the system requirements, the architecture and an initial evaluation of the configuration and localization components. The experiments aim to assess not only the accuracy of the positioning, but also the intuitiveness of the navigation application, from a blind user’s point of view.