Robot-Assisted Group Tours for Blind People

Paper Title

Robot-Assisted Group Tours for Blind People

Publication Info

• Topic area: Assistive robotics for enhancing group participation of blind individuals in social settings.
• Keywords: Assistive robots, blind people, group tours, navigation, social interaction, museum accessibility, environmental awareness, human-robot interaction, mixed-visual groups, group dynamics.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Blind individuals face significant challenges in group settings due to the inability to interpret visual cues, making it difficult to navigate, engage with guides, and participate in group dynamics. Existing assistive technologies focus on visual and informational support but lack capabilities for physical group activities in dynamic environments.
• Significance: Addressing these challenges can enable blind individuals to participate in social and recreational activities, such as museum tours, fostering inclusion and independence.
• Motivation and related work: Prior research has explored assistive technologies like wearable devices, haptic tools, and smart glasses for blind individuals, but these solutions do not adequately support group navigation or interpersonal interactions. Robots have been used for navigation and individual tours but lack features tailored for mixed-visual group settings. This paper investigates how assistive robots can bridge this gap.

Solution

• Proposed approach: Development and evaluation of a mobile robotic system to assist blind individuals in participating in guided group tours with sighted participants.
• Novelty:
  1. Identification of blind individuals' needs and challenges in group tours through interviews with blind participants and museum experts.
  2. Design and implementation of a robotic system with features for environmental awareness, group interaction, and independent navigation.
  3. Field study evaluation of the robot's impact on blind participants' group engagement and interaction.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  1. Interview Study: Semi-structured interviews with blind individuals (n = 5) and museum experts (n = 5) to identify needs and challenges.
  2. System Design: Development of a robot with features such as guide-following, environmental descriptions, group positioning, and communication with the guide.
  3. Field Study: Testing the robot with blind participants (n = 8) and sighted participants (n = 8) in guided tours at a science museum.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Blind participants reported high usability (SUS M = 90.6, SD = 12.9) and positive experiences with the robot, citing increased safety and independence.
  • The most frequently used features were "Guide Location" (M = 4.88, SD = 2.70) and "Surrounding Description" (M = 4.13, SD = 2.10).
  • Participants used robot features primarily during exhibit stops (39%) and transitions between exhibits (37%).
• Advantage over baselines: The robot provided navigation support, reduced anxiety, and enabled blind participants to focus more on the guide's explanations compared to traditional aids like white canes.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Conducted in a real-world museum setting with small tour groups (one blind participant, two sighted participants, one guide).
  • Data collected through interviews, system logs, and video analysis.
  • Metrics included feature usage frequency, participant feedback, and standardized usability scales (SUS, RoSAS).
• Limitations and future work:
  • Limited generalizability due to small group sizes and a single museum context.
  • Challenges in crowded environments and robot navigation failures.
  • Future work includes autonomous guide-following, richer descriptions of nearby people, and personalization of robot features.

Summary

This paper addresses the challenges faced by blind individuals in group activities by designing and evaluating a mobile robotic system for guided museum tours. The robot enhances environmental awareness, group interaction, and navigation, enabling blind participants to engage more fully in mixed-visual group settings. Field study results demonstrate the robot's usability, safety benefits, and potential to supplement human guides. Future work will focus on improving autonomous navigation, expanding to diverse tour contexts, and personalizing robot features for blind users and guides.