Personal Adaptive Mobility Aid for the Innrm and Elderly Blind

This technical report describes ongoing research into the development of a robotic mobility aid (PAM-AID) for people with a visually impairment who also require support during walking. These disabilities coincide most often in the elderly and as the elderly constitute almost two thirds of all blind people (due to the fact that blindness occurs most often in the over 65's) we feel that this attention is justi ed. Some of the elderly blind have di culty in using the common mobility aids such as the long cane or guide dog and consequently have little opportunity for independent exercise. PAM-AID will provide both a physical support during walking and a mobility aid thus providing an opportunity for independent activity. This report examines issues related to mobility for the blind and pays particular attention to the needs of the elderly or frail. We overview some of the currently available mobility aids for the blind and detail current research in this area. We describe PAM-AID, a robot-type device which senses the environment to ensure that the user is safe and can avoid obstacles. We examine the factors important to the operation of PAM-AID and give a overview of its design. Finally we describe the current status of the project and indicate our future direction.