Juan V. Durá Gil, Bruno Bazuelo Ruiz, Fernando Mollá Doménech(*), David Moro Pérez, Enrique Alcántara Alcover, Eduardo Parrilla Bernabé, Juan Alfonso Gómez Herrero, José Laparra Hernández

Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia

(*) CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN)

The aim of the BLINDTRACK project is to develop a guidance system for the visually impaired enabling them to run unassisted around a 400-meter athletics track  In many countries, equality of access to public services and places is required by law. The pursuit of sports activities has been shown to have positive effects on people's mental and physical health and, logically, the same is true for visually impaired athletes. With BLINDTRACK, the project consortium aims to improve access to sport for the visually impaired, and thus reflect the need for technology which is conducive to the wellbeing of the blind, and which, at the same time, mitigates their exclusion from sports and leisure activities. The proposed system helps the visually impaired be integrated into the community, increasing their confidence, improving their health, and attaining higher levels of social integration.

 

 

INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, 5% of the world’s population have visual impairments and there are over 12.5 million people in Europe with this disability. The European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 states that “people with disabilities are entitled to participate equally in society and in the economy and that denying equal opportunities is a violation of human rights.” These rights include freedom of movement, choosing where and how to live and enjoying full access to cultural, recreational and sports activities.

On the contrary, many disabled people experience difficulties when it comes to accessing sports equipment and installations. With regard to running on athletics tracks, the visually impaired do not enjoy equal opportunities. The most common alternative is to run with a guide at their side, joined by a tether. Another possibility for pursuing this sporting activity is the use of a treadmill, but this deprives the visually impaired of the feeling of independence and freedom.

The aim of the BLINDTRACK project is to develop a guidance system for the visually impaired enabling them to run unassisted around a 400-meter athletics track without the need to be accompanied by a guide. BLINDTRACK will provide blind users with opportunities, making sport accessible to this group.

SOLUTION PROPOSED IN THE BLINDTRACK PROJECT

The BLINDTRACK system will detect, in real-time, the exact position, orientation, speed and trajectory of all users, blind or not, in order to guide them and prevent collisions between users running at the same time on an athletics track. To do so, all users must wear a device which monitors their position, and visually impaired users must also wear a belt with vibrating motors which emit different guidance messages based on their needs at any given moment.

The equipment required for the proper operation of the BLINDTRACK system is as follows (Figure 1): a radio frequency transmitter for each runner, antennas placed around the athletics track to receive these signals, a belt for each blind user, a central computer to process all the information and provide the guidance and a WiFi network to transmit the guidance information to the blind users.

Figure 1: BLINDTRACK system.

The following partners are participating in the development of the project: Ateknea Solutions Hungary KFT, Informatika a Latasserultekert Alapitvany, PPS GMBH PPS PROJECTS, Elitac BV, Eneso Tecnología de Adaptación SL, Adaptor Hjelpemidler AS, Budapesti Sportszolgaltato Kozpont, Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.V.

The IBV's aim in the BLINDTRACK project focuses on the design and development of the belt with the vibrating motors fitted around it. This belt must be ergonomic, light, comfortable, washable, adjustable to the users' different body types and allow the inclusion of electronic components. The IBV is also responsible for designing the algorithms for translating the information on the speed at and direction in which the athlete must move into tactile messages to be provided by the belt.

METHODOLOGY USED IN THE PROJECT

In order to ascertain the needs of the visually impaired in relation to running, a number of static and dynamic tests were performed. In the former, visually impaired individuals were given the prototype belt with the built-in vibrating motors and they were presented with different algorithms with different vibration sequences and rhythms. The participants had to indicate what they thought the message received suggested. The options were turn to the left, turn to the right, go straight on, stop, reduce speed, or that it did not suggest anything. Subsequently, they were presented with all the algorithms which indicated the same type of response: e.g., turn to the left. Of all these, they had to express which was the most intuitive for indicating the desired response.

In the dynamic tests, taking the results from the previous phase into consideration, an athletics track was designed to scale, and the participants were presented with the most intuitive algorithms (Figure 2). These tests were designed to verify that the algorithms selected in the first phase had the same effect under static and dynamic conditions. Additionally, correct guidance over the entire distance covered was especially relevant. Two full laps were completed with each algorithm and the frequency with which the subject exceeded the limits set was noted.

Figure 2: Dynamic test with a visually impaired individual.

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of the opinions provided by users and the results obtained in the tests, under both static and dynamic conditions, the IVB now has the information required for the design and development of the belt, with regard to intensity, vibration rhythms, sequences and the most suitable algorithms for best transmitting the information. Thus, the corresponding messages will be issued effectively so that users can modify their trajectory.

Further information is available on the project's website: http://blindtrack.eu/

ACKOWLEDGMENTS

The BLINDTRACK project was funded by the Seventh European Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) under number 605821.