Sensory navigation guide for visually impaired sea kayakers

• Published in: Journal of field robotics 2018-08, Vol.35 (5), p.732-747
• Main Authors: Anthierens, Cédric, Groux, Didier, Hugel, Vincent
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: assistant; Autonomy; Computer Science; Global positioning systems; GPS; Innovations; marine robotics; Navigation; People with disabilities; Robotics; Satellite navigation systems; trajectory; Visual impairment; Water sports
• ISSN: 1556-4959; 1556-4967
• DOI: 10.1002/rob.21775

At present, a visually impaired kayaker needs the assistance of a kayaker coach in charge of guiding him/her by using loud vocal instructions or a sound device during the sea ride. However, neither the coach nor the visually impaired kayaker feel at ease with such a guiding due to the amount of noise generated by the frequent vocal interactions. This paper describes a novel concept of sensory navigation guide meant to help kayakers with visual disabilities to practice sea kayaking in an autonomous way. The innovation here consists in providing kayakers with wristbands that automatically vibrate left or right, depending on the predefined trajectory to be followed. The main contributions of this work include an original navigation algorithm based on GPS feedback to track a corridor‐shaped path on the sea and the definition of specific metrics to analyze the performance of the kayakers along the ride. Experiments carried out on a population of 10 visually impaired kayakers and 10 sighted kayakers showed convincing results. A satisfaction survey confirmed that all participants acknowledged the added value of the system in terms of increased autonomy. Most of the visually impaired participants also enjoyed a greater sports entertainment experience thanks to this guiding system, which can be extended to other kinds of water sports.