An IoT-enabled vision-aid for the blind integrating ultrasonic obstacle detection and GPS-based location tracking

Abstract

Visual impairment significantly affects independent mobility and personal safety, creating a need for affordable and reliable assistive navigation technologies. This paper presents the design and implementation of a low-cost wearable Vision-Aid system to support visually impaired individuals during outdoor navigation. The primary objective of the study is to enhance obstacle awareness, location tracking, and emergency communication using accessible embedded technologies. The proposed system integrates ultrasonic sensors for real-time obstacle detection, an Arduino microcontroller for data processing, a global positioning system (GPS) module for location tracking, and a global system for mobile communication (GSM) module for emergency alert transmission. Audio feedback is provided through a voice module to guide the user safely. Experimental evaluations were conducted under various environmental conditions to assess obstacle detection accuracy, response time, and location reliability. The results demonstrate accurate obstacle detection, timely audio alerts, and reliable real-time location sharing with caregivers. The proposed system improves user confidence, mobility, and safety while maintaining low implementation cost. This work highlights the potential of embedded and internet of things (IoT)–based assistive devices to enhance autonomy for visually impaired individuals and provides a foundation for future integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-based object recognition.