Smart cities to improve mobility and quality of life of the visually impaired

Sobnath, Drishty and Rehman, Ikram and Nasralla, Moustafa. (2018). Smart cities to improve mobility and quality of life of the visually impaired. In: Technological Trends in Improved Mobility of the Visually Impaired. EAI/Springer Innovations in Communication and Computing (8595). Springer International Publishing, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. ISBN 978-3-030-16450-8 (In Press)

PDF (Book Chapter accepted version- Accepted on 21.12.2018) Book Chapter _before acceptance.pdf - Accepted Version Restricted to Repository staff only until 2020. Download (1MB) | Request a copy

Abstract

The rapid pace of innovation and advances in technological research has given hope to the visually impaired, to find ways to move around smart cities and have a better quality of life (QoL). There are around 110 million people suffering from visual impairments worldwide and research will continue to be adapted to find innovative solutions to provide a journey closer to total accessibility for the visually impaired. It has been identified through various studies that the requirements of people with visual impairment fall into two major categories. Firstly, the ability to recognise people, leading towards social interactions. Secondly, the ability to carry out routine activities seamlessly without any hindrance. Through the use of artificial intelligence, availability of data, high bandwidth, large number of connected devices and the collaboration of the citizens in a smart city, the life of the Visually Impaired Persons (VIPs) can be improved by providing them with more independence and safety. Moreover, smart cities also support the concept of sustainable economic growth as well as well-being of its citizens, therefore its development relies on strong ICT infrastructure. With a rise in smartphones, wearable devices, and the surge in the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR)/(AR) have provided aspiration for VIPs to lead a better QoL. A number of studies have already tested the use of these technologies and have showed optimistic results. The main sectors that could be improved to cater for the visually impaired in smart cities are public areas, transportation systems, and the home systems. This chapter provides a comprehensive review and recommendations on how a smart city can provide a better QoL for the visually impaired in the near future.

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