Mapping Urban Obstacles: Improving Route Accessibility for Blind and Low-Vision Pedestrians

Independent travel poses significant challenges for blind or low-vision (BLV) individuals due to the lack of detailed urban accessibility information, particularly regarding sidewalk defects. While assistive applications exist, they often fail to account for hazards such as uneven surfaces that can impede safe travel. This paper introduces a novel method to enhance route optimization for BLV individuals by measuring sidewalk accessibility rating using an inertial measurement unit sensor mounted on a mobility scooter. The device captures acceleration data, indicating elevation changes and identifying sidewalk defects. A graph-based path-planning algorithm utilizes this data to calculate routes with minimal defects, and the accessibility rating is displayed on a heatmap for users. Experimental results demonstrate that optimizing routes based on sidewalk accessibility enhances the convenience and safety of independent travel for BLV individuals.