ATLANTA, GA – Researchers led by two George Tech assistant professors are in the process of designing a wearable computing system for visually impaired peoplem, as well as firefighters and soldiers.

It’s called the System for Wearable Audio Navigation (SWAN), and the technology consists of a small laptop, a proprietary tracking chip, and bone-conduction headphones. Used in harmony, these items provide audio cues to guide a person from place to place, whether or not that person is able to see.

The assistant professors, Frank Dellaert from the college of computing and Bruce Walker from the school of psychology, are developing what was initially designed for military use into something that can be used to improve a visually-impaired persons’ mobility.

“The challenge is integrating all the information from all the various sensors in real time so you can accurately guide the user as they move toward their destination,” said Dellaert.

“SWAN is a satisfying project because we are looking at how to use technology originally developed for military use for peaceful purposes,” he stated. “Currently, we can effectively localize the person outdoors with GPS data and we have a working prototype using computer vision to see street level details not included in GPS, such as light posts and benches.”

Their research team recently received a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to further develop SWAN.

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