Blind's Dog

Easy navigation for blind people

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Blind's Dog

Empowering the Visually Impaired to Navigate Safely and Independently.

Made under theme social impact

Inspiration

Navigating the world can be a daunting task for visually impaired individuals. While guide dogs provide immense help, not everyone has access to one. Inspired by the desire to create an accessible, low-cost alternative, we built Blind's Dog—a virtual assistant that uses technology to guide blind users to their destinations while ensuring their safety.

What it does

Blind's Dog is a web application that empowers visually impaired individuals to navigate from one location to another safely. Users simply speak their desired destination into the application, and it provides real-time spoken navigation instructions using JavaScript's audio capabilities.

The application also identifies and alerts users about obstacles such as pits or roadblocks along the way. This feature ensures they remain informed and safe throughout their journey.

How we built it

  • Backend: Python and Flask form the backbone of the application, handling voice recognition, route generation, and obstacle detection logic.
  • Speech Recognition: Google Speech Recognition API is utilized to process voice inputs, enabling the app to understand the user’s destination commands.
  • Frontend: HTML/CSS and JavaScript power the user interface, making it simple yet accessible. JavaScript also handles the real-time audio feedback for navigation and alerts.
  • Navigation and Alerts: Audio cues are generated dynamically based on navigation routes and obstacle data.

Features

  1. Voice Commands: Users simply say their destination, and the app processes the command to plot the route.
  2. Real-Time Audio Guidance: Directions are spoken aloud to guide the user step-by-step.
  3. Accessibility-Focused UI: A minimalistic, user-friendly design tailored for screen readers and visually impaired users.

Challenges we ran into

  • Speech Recognition Accuracy: Fine-tuning the speech recognition model to understand diverse accents and background noise was a significant challenge.
  • Obstacle Detection: Simulating realistic road conditions and integrating accurate hazard detection algorithms required careful planning and testing.
  • Real-Time Audio Synchronization: Ensuring that audio navigation cues matched the user’s current position and direction was tricky but crucial for the user experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Successfully implemented seamless voice-to-navigation functionality.
  • Created a real-time audio feedback system that keeps users informed and safe.
  • Developed a solution that is accessible, scalable, and cost-effective for a wide range of users.

What we learned

This project deepened our understanding of integrating Python Flask with frontend technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. We gained experience in leveraging APIs like Google Speech Recognition and working with real-time audio processing.

What's next for Blind's Dog

  • Mobile App Version: Expanding the application to mobile platforms for wider accessibility.
  • Localization: Adding support for multiple languages to serve a global audience.
  • Route Optimization: Enhancing the routing algorithm to provide the most efficient and safest paths.
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