TY - JOUR
T1 - A Smart Service System for Spatial Intelligence and Onboard Navigation for Individuals with Visual Impairment (VIS4ION Thailand)
T2 - study protocol of a randomized controlled trial of visually impaired students at the Ratchasuda College, Thailand
AU - Beheshti, Mahya
AU - Naeimi, Tahereh
AU - Hudson, Todd E.
AU - Feng, Chen
AU - Mongkolwat, Pattanasak
AU - Riewpaiboon, Wachara
AU - Seiple, William
AU - Vedanthan, Rajesh
AU - Rizzo, John Ross
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Background: Blind/low vision (BLV) severely limits information about our three-dimensional world, leading to poor spatial cognition and impaired navigation. BLV engenders mobility losses, debility, illness, and premature mortality. These mobility losses have been associated with unemployment and severe compromises in quality of life. VI not only eviscerates mobility and safety but also, creates barriers to inclusive higher education. Although true in almost every high-income country, these startling facts are even more severe in low- and middle-income countries, such as Thailand. We aim to use VIS4ION (Visually Impaired Smart Service System for Spatial Intelligence and Onboard Navigation), an advanced wearable technology, to enable real-time access to microservices, providing a potential solution to close this gap and deliver consistent and reliable access to critical spatial information needed for mobility and orientation during navigation. Methods: We are leveraging 3D reconstruction and semantic segmentation techniques to create a digital twin of the campus that houses Mahidol University’s disability college. We will do cross-over randomization, and two groups of randomized VI students will deploy this augmented platform in two phases: a passive phase, during which the wearable will only record location, and an active phase, in which end users receive orientation cueing during location recording. A group will perform the active phase first, then the passive, and the other group will experiment reciprocally. We will assess for acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility, focusing on experiences with VIS4ION. In addition, we will test another cohort of students for navigational, health, and well-being improvements, comparing weeks 1 to 4. We will also conduct a process evaluation according to the Saunders Framework. Finally, we will extend our computer vision and digital twinning technique to a 12-block spatial grid in Bangkok, providing aid in a more complex environment. Discussion: Although electronic navigation aids seem like an attractive solution, there are several barriers to their use; chief among them is their dependence on either environmental (sensor-based) infrastructure or WiFi/cell “connectivity” infrastructure or both. These barriers limit their widespread adoption, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries. Here we propose a navigation solution that operates independently of both environmental and Wi-Fi/cell infrastructure. We predict the proposed platform supports spatial cognition in BLV populations, augmenting personal freedom and agency, and promoting health and well-being. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier: NCT03174314, Registered 2017.06.02.
AB - Background: Blind/low vision (BLV) severely limits information about our three-dimensional world, leading to poor spatial cognition and impaired navigation. BLV engenders mobility losses, debility, illness, and premature mortality. These mobility losses have been associated with unemployment and severe compromises in quality of life. VI not only eviscerates mobility and safety but also, creates barriers to inclusive higher education. Although true in almost every high-income country, these startling facts are even more severe in low- and middle-income countries, such as Thailand. We aim to use VIS4ION (Visually Impaired Smart Service System for Spatial Intelligence and Onboard Navigation), an advanced wearable technology, to enable real-time access to microservices, providing a potential solution to close this gap and deliver consistent and reliable access to critical spatial information needed for mobility and orientation during navigation. Methods: We are leveraging 3D reconstruction and semantic segmentation techniques to create a digital twin of the campus that houses Mahidol University’s disability college. We will do cross-over randomization, and two groups of randomized VI students will deploy this augmented platform in two phases: a passive phase, during which the wearable will only record location, and an active phase, in which end users receive orientation cueing during location recording. A group will perform the active phase first, then the passive, and the other group will experiment reciprocally. We will assess for acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility, focusing on experiences with VIS4ION. In addition, we will test another cohort of students for navigational, health, and well-being improvements, comparing weeks 1 to 4. We will also conduct a process evaluation according to the Saunders Framework. Finally, we will extend our computer vision and digital twinning technique to a 12-block spatial grid in Bangkok, providing aid in a more complex environment. Discussion: Although electronic navigation aids seem like an attractive solution, there are several barriers to their use; chief among them is their dependence on either environmental (sensor-based) infrastructure or WiFi/cell “connectivity” infrastructure or both. These barriers limit their widespread adoption, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries. Here we propose a navigation solution that operates independently of both environmental and Wi-Fi/cell infrastructure. We predict the proposed platform supports spatial cognition in BLV populations, augmenting personal freedom and agency, and promoting health and well-being. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier: NCT03174314, Registered 2017.06.02.
KW - Accessibility
KW - Adaptive mobility device
KW - Assistive technology
KW - Blind/low vision
KW - Low- and/or middle-income countries
KW - Navigation
KW - Visual impairment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85149999175&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85149999175&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s13063-023-07173-8
DO - 10.1186/s13063-023-07173-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 36879333
AN - SCOPUS:85149999175
SN - 1745-6215
VL - 24
JO - Trials
JF - Trials
IS - 1
M1 - 169
ER -