An Interdisciplinary Approach: Potential for Robotic Support to Address Wayfinding Barriers Among Persons with Visual Impairments

Persons with Vision Impairments (PwVI) often have difficulties navigating indoor environments. The challenges and solutions can change based on their level of familiarity with the location. A collaborative effort was made to design a user needs assessment to understand the collaborative nature of human-robot interaction for wayfinding. The user study was an interview study to discuss with PwVI their navigation experience in familiar, somewhat familiar, and unfamiliar locations. Following this, we discussed their current solution strategies for wayfinding in those locations to discuss how they could imagine a robot to support wayfinding. We report on four case studies to illustrate specific user needs, such as vocal direction and orientation to learn a new environment and navigate, and highlight common strategies, such as supplemental lighting, different types of human assistance, and technologies used (i.e. white canes).