Smart Glasses for the Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI)

Abstract

Technology has rapidly advanced to become a powerful tool for enhancing quality of life and providing creative solutions to the daily obstacles faced by different societal groups. Blindness is a significant obstacle that impacts the lives of millions worldwide. When carrying out everyday activities, blind individuals face many movements and independent living challenges. Consequently, there is an immediate need to create assistive tools and technologies that enhance the capabilities and independence of visually impaired individuals. The 'Smart Glasses for the Blind and Visually Impaired’ (BVI) project is an innovative solution that offers an approach based on computer vision and artificial intelligence technologies. This solution aims to assist blind individuals in recognising their surroundings and navigating safely and quickly. The fundamental goal of this project is to create intelligent eyewear that incorporates advanced cameras and sensors, as well as data analysis software and technologies for recognising objects. It also possesses text-to-speech capabilities, object detection, and user guidance through audio feedback. The glasses employ a Raspberry Pi 4 microprocessor for camera image processing, utilising Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technologies and OpenCV software to identify text accurately. The smart glasses use a Single Shot Multibox Detector (SSD) to detect objects in the environment. This technology enables visually impaired individuals to navigate independently while receiving real-time alerts about potential hazards along their path. The numerous benefits of glasses make them a valuable tool in the lives of visually impaired people.