Section 4 ITS toward Standard Deployment

Guidance Systems for the Visually Disabled

-Guidance systems for the visually disabled already at work
Conventional facilities, such as braille blocks and voice signals, have so far been provided to guide the visually disabled. A safer and more accurate system has been achieved by developing special sidewalks and walking sticks. The new system is now in test operation across the country.
It is now subject to active upgrading on the basis of evaluation results of users in order to lay the groundwork for future full-fledged deployment.
-Fukuoka City: Intelligent roads for the visually disabled
When the visually disabled walker uses a special walking stick equipped with a magnetic sensor to touch a sidewalk where magnetic labels (ferrite) are laid, weak signals are delivered to the walker's hand, enabling him/her to walk safely along the sidewalk. The system currently at work in Fukuoka provides audio guidance messages, such as "This is Tenjin 1-chome. Turn left, and you will head for the Fukuoka City Hall" from a loudspeaker embedded under the sidewalk surface at a point where an antenna is also buried. The employment of embedded loudspeakers reduces the distance between the visually disabled and a speaker itself, making it possible to lower the sound volume and allow the visually disabled to easily identify the sound source.


When visually disabled walker uses a walking stick with a built-in magnetic sensor to touch a guiding block, fine vibrations are transferred to the handle of the walking stick.
An audio guidance system installed along sidewalks



-Sendai City: To direct the visually disabled through buzzer/receivers, small transmitters and sensors
Introduced in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, is a system to inform visually disabled walker of the location and direction by voice using a sensor attached to a walking stick, together with a card-sized buzzer/receiver and a small transmitter. When a visually-disabled pedestrian approaches a spot where audio guidance is available, a buzzer/receiver sounds. When the pedestrian presses the button of a small transmitter, a message is provided from a loudspeaker to inform the visually disabled walker of his or her location. Under the system, the sensor automatically detects a diverging points of sidewalks on braille blocks, and detailed audio guidance is given regarding destinations.
buzzer/receiver
 small transmitter

sensor



-Yamaguchi Prefecture: Concise and direct guidance in complicated underpass
Many pedestrians walk along the underpass in front of the Shimonoseki Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture, as it connects the station with the shopping area. However, this underpass is complicated with many diverging points. To make it easily accessible to the visually disabled, a system has been installed at each diverging point to detect visually disabled persons automatically and inform them of their location and direction concisely by voice, along with braille blocks. Visually disabled persons are detected automatically and directions determined through reflective tape attached to walking sticks and infrared sensors.


Visually disabled walkers are automatically detected at diverging points of the underpass.




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