Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Navigating safely through everyday environments can be extremely challenging for people with visual impairments. To address this, we developed a smart Blind Voice Assistant that uses the YOLOv8 object detection model to identify surrounding objects in real time. The system can detect both common and potentially dangerous items, estimate their approximate distance in steps, and immediately inform the user through voice feedback. This approach allows users to become more aware of their surroundings and make safer decisions as they move around. By training the model with both standard COCO data and a custom dataset including items like knives, pens, and bags, we ensure the assistant is tuned to recognize important objects in daily life. Overall, the assistant aims to empower visually impaired individuals by offering real-time environmental awareness and guided navigation.
Author: Sakshi Natuskar
Language: English
Subfield: Occupational Therapy
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4409625773