This project proposal addresses the biggest issue that visually impaired people are facing in unfamiliar indoor spaces, such as schools, hospitals, or airports. Due to the nature of their disability, blind people cannot perceive the light, "seeing" the world through their other senses, for example hearing and touching. Our solution is to made light available to the visually impaired people through some of their other more developed senses, such as using audio messages. Therefore, Light for the Blind project aims to assist these people in improving their well-being with the help of a device capable to send messages, information and guidance through light converted into sound. The prototype that we envision to implement is based on Visible Light Communication (VLC) technology, with various functions available nowadays, such as positioning and localization, ranging, light dimming and immunity to radiofrequency noise, in order to ensure guidance, privacy, security and reliability of communication link for blind people.
The Light for the Blind project aims to identify the needs of visually impaired people in an unfamiliar location, to determine what kind of information can be useful in assisting them in order to be comfortable in a new place, and how to offer guidance assistance to help these people to localize different locations (i.e. elevator, stairs, exits, or restrooms). Based on a ten years of extensive expertise in development of various visible light communication systems and on a previous vastly relevant experience in the industry, with significant articles in highly ranked journals and conferences and with two patents in this field, our research team is capable to tackle various challenges associated with a very unpredictable optical channel, being well prepared to analyze the specific requests for the necessary characteristics of the VLC system and to implement an useful and reliable device for assisting blind people.
Project director
received
a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering (2009) and a M.S. in Computer and
Communication Networks (2011) from the University of Suceava, Suceava, Romania.
He received his PhD (2014) after a joint program between the University of
Versailles St. Quentin en Yvelines, France and the University of Suceava,
Suceava, Romania. Currently, he is researcher at University of Suceava, Romania
and at Paris-Saclay University, France. His research is focused on visible
light communications, wireless optical communications and vehicle safety
applications. Dr. Căilean is the author of more than 40 journal articles and
conference papers, most of them being focused on the use of the visible light
communications technology in vehicle safety applications. He has strong expertise
in automotive VLC systems, signal processing, adaptive systems, project
management. The value his
research is demonstrated by the publication record and by the approximatively 1100
citations (according to Google
Scholar
). Alin-Mihai CAILEANhas also a rich grant experience as he
has worked in seven projects (five of them focused on the use of the VLC technology in automotive applications).
Experienced research fellow
is
Professor and PhD Coordinator in Electronics Engineering, Telecommunications
and Information Technology, and Vice-Rector for Scientific Activities at
“Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava (USV). His areas of expertise are
optoelectronics & nanoelectronics, electromagnetics and wireless
communications, stochastic analysis and multi-scale modeling with a PhD from
the University of Maryland, College Park (U.S.A.), Post-doc from Max Planck
Institute, Leipzig (Germany), and an extensive experience as Assistant
Professor and tenured Associate Professor at Howard University in
Washington DC (USV). His research and development activities has been funded by
more than 30 grants (15 as Project Director or Partner Coordinator) awarded in
various national and international competitions (EU Framework Programs, US
National Science Foundations, US Army, RO National R&D Programs, EU FSE).
His research results were disseminated in more than 150 publications and
received more than 1500 citations worldwide. He is the initiator and Scientific
Coordinator of Integrated Center for Research, Development and Innovation in
Advanced Materials, Nanotechnologies, and Distributed Systems for Fabrication
and Control (www.mansid.usv.ro) which was developed in 2015 based on a 7
million EURO infrastructure grant from U.E. POSCCE.
Experienced researcher
is Lecturer at University of Suceava. Her expertise
lies in the areas of electro-optics, electro-mechanical convertor,
electro-technical materials with special research interests in unconventional
actuators, such as solar micro-engines, special electrical motors,
environment-adaptive systems, safety. She also performs consulting activities
in patenting and industrial property protection, being industrial property
attorney, OSIM authorized, for field of patents, since 2009. Her research
results generated more than 120
patent requests, 75 of them
being already patented and have been presented at various international
exhibitions of inventions such as Geneva, Brussels, Bucharest, Cluj, Iasi,
Chisinau, etc. where she obtained 20
medals and awards (13 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 2 bronze medals).
Assistant researcher
is assistant researcher at University of Suceava. Sebastian-Andrei
AVĂTĂMĂNIȚEI has a B.S. degree in Applied Electronics Engineering (2013). After
a three years’ period in which he has worked for Continental Automotive Systems, the Exterior Lighting Division, he
recently defended his PhD in the area of vehicular VLC applications,
contributing to our team with his extensive automotive industrial experience.
He has strong expertise in vehicle lighting systems, automotive VLC systems,
signal processing, electronics, 3D design and experimental testing. He is
(co)author of 19 articles and conference papers in the VLC area.
Assistant researcher
is assistant researcher at University of Suceava.
Cătălin-Marius BEGUNI received a M.S. degree in Electronics and
Telecommunications (1994), and a M.S. degree in Computer and Communication
Networks (2021). After a 25 years' experience in computer and telecommunication
companies, he is currently PhD student at University of Suceava (Romania) in
the area of vehicular VLC applications. His main research area is related to
visible light communications, automotive applications, wireless sensors and
vehicle safety applications. He has two years of experience in working on VLC technology
and he is (co)author of 12 articles and conference papers in this area.
Assistant researcher
is assistant researcher at Technical University of
Cluj-Napoca. Eduard ZADOBRISCHI has a B.S. degree in Computer Science (2014)
and a M.S. degree in Computer Science and Engineering (2016). He worked for
Xerox, and later switched to IT4Each, a Belgian hardware and software service
provider for clients such as Sertius, Enhesa, Vlassenroot or W3Chocolate. He
worked in software and automation departments production lines by remote
control from partner factories of companies in the automotive industry. Currently,
he pursuits his PhD focused on the integration of the VLC technology in road
safety and traffic management systems. He has solid knowledge in
communications, intelligent systems, 3D design, control and management of ECU,
ECM, TCM, web programming. He is (co)author of 20 journal and conference
articles in the field of automotive VLC applications.
Automotive Optical Wireless Communications Laboratory - VLC
Our active collaborators are:
Research Assistant
Dr. Adrian Done –University of Suceava
| Expected results 2022 | Achieved results 2022 | Expected results 2023 | Achieved results 2023 | Expected results 2024 | Achieved results 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical project for the VLC Light4Blind infrastructure | Accomplished | 2 articles published in journals Q1-Q2 | Article 1 Article 2 | 1 article published in a journal Q1-Q2 | Accomplished |
| 1 Technical project for the VLC Light4Blind portable device | Accomplished | 2 paper published in the volume of an international conference | Article 1 Article 2 | 1 TRL 4 technology: Light4Blind | Accomplished |
| A patent application submitted to the State Patent and Trademark Office | Accomplished | 2 paper published in the volume of an international conference | Article 1 Article 2 | 1 Test report of the VLC system intended for road applications in mobility conditions to confirm the TRL 6 level | Accomplished |
| Web page of the project | Accomplished | 1 Technical report for the VLC Light4Blind infrastructure | Accomplished | Web page of the project | Accomplished |
| 1 Technical report for the VLC Light4Blind portable device; | Accomplished | ||||
| Project Web page updated | Accomplished |
| The results obtained in stage 3, related to the year 2024, are disseminated through: | ||
|---|---|---|
|
(A) Scientific papers published in scientific journals 1. A. Lavric, C. Beguni, E. Zadobrischi, A.-M. Căilean, S.-A. Avătămăniței “A Comprehensive Survey on Emerging Assistive Technologies for Visually Impaired Persons: Lighting the Path with Visible Light Communications and Artificial Intelligence Innovations“, Sensors, June 2024,. (Q2 Journal - ISI Impact factor 2022-2023 = 3,9) Accesează articol (B) Technical documentation available on the reporting platform (EVOC): [2] TRL 4 technology: Light4Blind; [3] Test report for the Light4Blind system; (V) Project web page available, in Romanian and English: [4] http://vlc.usv.ro/light4blind/ Sinteza livrabilelor și indicatorilor de rezultat pentru cele trei etape de implementare ale proiectului aferente anilor 2022-2024, este prezentată în tabelul de mai jos. 1. Technical project: Technical project for the VLC Light4Blind infrastructure; Technical project for the VLC Light4Blind infrastructure; 2. Technical report: Technical report for the VLC Light4Blind infrastructure; Technical report for VLC Light4Blind portable device; 3. TRL 4 Technology: TRL 4 Technology: Light4Blind Test Report - Test report for the Light4Blind system 5. A patent application filed with the State Patent and Trademark Office - A.-M. Căilean, S.-A. Avătămăniței, C. Beguni, E. Zadobrischi, E.-D. Lupu, M. Dimian “Rucsac inteligent destinat asistenței persoanelor nevăzătoare,” cerere de brevet depusă la Oficiul de Stat pentru Invenţii și Mărci, A/00757/23.11.2022. 6. Articles in peer-reviewed journals Q1/Q2 - publication of 3 articles in peer-reviewed journals Q2 7. Papers published in international conferences indexed in the ISI Web of Knowledge /IEEE xplore database - 2 Papers published in international conferences indexed in the ISI Web of Knowledge / IEEE xplore database 8. Presentations at international conferences - 2 Presentations at international conferences 9. Project website : http://vlc.usv.ro/light4blind/ |
||
| Presentation of the results obtained within the project | ||
|
The Light4Blind project involved the design and implementation of an innovative system intended to improve the life experience and independence of blind people in unfamiliar spaces. This system was designed to provide navigation assistance and easier interactions in public buildings using advanced visible light communication technologies and various sensors. The implemented concept uses the lighting system of buildings to convey to blind people information related to where they are and about the positioning of various points of interest (Figure 1). The reception of data is done by means of a smart backpack (Figure 2) which transforms the information received into movement instructions provided in the form of audio messages or haptic information. During movement, the smart backpack has the ability to detect the location of obstacles and transmit this information to the user, making movement more efficient. The proposed system and its components have been tested under laboratory conditions, the evaluation results confirming the benefits of the concept. The developed concept is considered one of the most advanced in the field, opening new perspectives and research directions. Our integrative approach between hardware and software technologies, together with a focus on adaptability and scalability, is the solid foundation for future developments in this area vital to improving the quality of life for blind people. The novelty of the concept allowed the filing of a patent application at the State Office for Inventions and Trademarks, and the publication of several relevant scientific papers in the field. These publications have helped to disseminate knowledge and strengthen our position in the academic and industrial community, highlighting the significant contributions made in the field of care for the blind. 
Figure 1 
Figure 2 Figure 1. Implementation of the VLC system in the laboratory. The interior lighting system transmits information for visually impaired people, information that is extracted and played back to the user through devices mounted in the backpack. Figure 2. Smart backpack based on visible light communication for assisting the blind and severely visually impaired: (a) Front and side view; (b) Rear view. |
Content managed by
as.drd.ing. Eduard Zadobrischi .
