Computer Vision System for the Blind Veteran

This is a feasibility study involving a small number of blind subject to evaluate the effectiveness of using a software and associated hardware components to assist the blind in identifying and locating objects of interests and to assist in way finding tasks. After the system has been successfully tested by the blindfolded engineers, it will be evaluated in a small number of blind subjects.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Blindness
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: initial system; Device: modified system

Detailed Description

This is primarily an engineering project to develop computer vision algorithms for an integrated system comprising of a laptop computer, webcam, gps, digital compass, microphone, and stereo earphones. The system will be voice controlled. The algorithm will be trained to identify and located objects and navigationally landmarks in real-time, previously selected by sighted developers. After the system has passed objective engineering milestones, blind subjects will be tested to determine whether the novel system will improve the ability of the blind to travel over a test course in a hospital setting.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 16
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Georgia
    • Decatur, Georgia, United States, 30033
      • Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21201
      • Baltimore VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 18 and over
• legally blind

Exclusion Criteria:

• decreased hearing
• unable to understand or follow instructions
• inability to walk and stand for 10 minutes

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm 1 initial system; 8 blind subjects are asked to use a prototype computer vision system to determine the challenges facing computer vision based indoor navigation. Subjects are asked to travel through the hallways of a large hospital from the front entrance to a side entrance. The pathway consists of 9 segments including corners, four-way intersections, and doorways, and the total length of the route was approximately 200 meters. This challenging route was designed to stress the capabilities of the navigation system. It is a route that even sighted persons may find difficult to follow without practice. Pedestrian traffic was present throughout the route and lighting conditions could change in two of the segments where there were windows and doors.	Device: initial system; The computer vision system is used to assist blind subject to navigate an extended path with multiple turns within a hospital setting.The initial prototype system would have been successfully tested for outdoor navigation and basic object recognition tasks.
Experimental: Arm 2 modified system; The system is redesigned in response to problems identified from the first phase of the study. The redesigned system is tested by a second set of 8 blind subjects in the same indoor path as used in Arm 1.	Device: modified system; The problems associated with the initial system were identified and modified. This modified system was tested with a second separate group of subjects. The redesigned system is used to assist blind subject to navigate the same extended path with multiple turns within a hospital setting.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Frequency of Device Failures Per Attempt to Complete a Navigation Course	device failures were defined as any failure to provide correct location and direction information at thre appropriate time, resulting in a mistake that needed the initial prototype's ability to meet their travel needs at a good to excellent range.	The subject is given as much time as needed to complete the task

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Ability to Meet the Subjective Travel Needs of the Blind Subject	This is a subjective rating that incorporates user friendliness of the system and the specific needs of the subject. The subject is asked to rate whether the device meets his or her travel needs on a 1 to 7 scale with 1 being excellent and 7 being very poor.	no time limit

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Cha-Min Tang, PhD MD, Baltimore VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: November 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 11, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 12, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): June 15, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): January 22, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 18, 2015
• Last Verified: December 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Eye Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Sensation Disorders; Vision Disorders; Blindness
• Other Study ID Numbers: C6731-R