Estimote-Based Location Awareness on Mobile Devices for Visually Impaired
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology 15th January 2019. Vol.96. No 1 © 2005 – ongoing JATIT & LLS ISSN: 1992-8645 www.jatit.org E-ISSN: 1817-3195 ESTIMOTE-BASED LOCATION AWARENESS ON MOBILE DEVICES FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED 1GIVA ANDRIANA MUTIARA, 2GITA INDAH HAPSARI, 3PERIYADI, 4AGUS PRATONDO 1,2,3,4Telkom University, School of Applied Science, Bandung, Indonesia E-mail: 1giva.andriana, 2gitaindahhapsari, 3periyadi, 4agus{@tass.telkomuniversity.ac.id} ABSTRACT The limitations vision that possessed by the visually impaired in interacting with their environment, causing them to have difficulties in doing traveling. But, along with the development of smartphone technology, the visually impaired people began using smartphones to help them engage in any activities. Estimote beacons are a small device that broadcast a Bluetooth signal that can be captured by a smartphone. This research contributions to provide the information to the visually impaired person in order to have easy use compatible with the smartphone since the Estimote beacons are used as a location awareness device to give the information about the surrounding environment. The systems were configured and programmed using android studio for indoor and outdoor locations. Based on the indoor result testing, it can be stated that the implementation of the Estimote beacon as a location awareness in indoor area, must be focused on the installation of the Estimote beacons. The installation must be set smoothly and the broadcast signal should not be overlap. The outdoor result testing indicates that the Estimote beacon signal is stable to receive on the smartphone at a distance 0 – 31.64 meters, begin unstable at a distance of 38.61 meter and become undetected at a distance of 79.79 meters. Keywords: Estimote Beacons, Visually Impaired, Mobile Devices, Location Awareness, Bluetooth 1. INTRODUCTION smartphone technology. Some smartphones are designed and intended specifically for people with The visually impaired people have limitation in visual impairments, for example, mobile phone moving to other places. During this time, the need devices that use a braille keypad [3]. Unfortunately, and life of the visually impaired are affected by the the device is very difficult to find, and the price is inability and limited vision in doing mobility. A quite expensive. Nowadays, smartphone technology skill is needed to create interaction with the is able to communicate in real time without physical environment for people with visual limitation of distance [4]. The newest facility in impaired. The more capable and skilled, a visually smartphone technology is the use of touchscreen impaired person in doing mobility, the less the technology. Person with visual impaired, eventually barriers in interacting with their environment [1]. also find it difficult to operate this type of smartphones since it has touchscreen technology. In the beginning, the visually impaired people Ongoing progress in the field of information of usually used an ordinary white cane as a traditional technology increases the scope of IT-based tool to help them in doing mobile. Various assistance technology to facilitate the feeling of researchers have been developed to enhance the independence, security, and improve the quality of ordinary white cane aids. But, most the improve life of the people with visual impairments. Time system, produced an extension module to embed the goes by, and the smartphone application for the ordinary white cane with another module. This visual impaired person was created. extra module burdening the visually impaired people since becoming an obstacle and quite In the early 2000s, access to e-mail messages and disturbing user comfort [2]. mobile internet sites such as i-mode, EZweb, and Ya-hoo!Cellular are created, even until voice-based In the presence of smartphone technology, the application were embroiled in smartphone need to access information in support of daily technology [5]. With the ease of features and activities becomes more important. People with applications in smartphone nowadays, it is possible visually impaired eventually began using for people with visual impairments to use 215 Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology 15th January 2019. Vol.96. No 1 © 2005 – ongoing JATIT & LLS ISSN: 1992-8645 www.jatit.org E-ISSN: 1817-3195 smartphones and use it as an aid tool that can help ordinary white cane so that it can detect obstacles them to do the activities as a modern mobile from a distance within a meter radius [10]. Besides, assistive technology [6][7]. Besides, this technology there is also a researcher who is developing the enables people with visual impairments to have extension module to detect the direction of the wind benefited from the portable, audible and lightweight and the direction of the Qibla [11]. Meanwhile, aids. there is also a study about the using of RFID to prevent the visually impaired person to face the A PSBN Wyata Guna foundation for visually obstacles [12]. While Hoang et.al, do the impaired in Bandung, which is a technical development using kinetic as the most modern implementation unit in the field of rehabilitation development that carried out in ETAs category [13]. and social services under the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, has a very The second category is Electronic Orientation large area of which more than 250 people with Aids (EOAs). EOA is designed to help the visually visual impairment live. In this area, there are impaired to find their way in unknown various infrastructure facilities that can be used to environments. The research which is developed in support the activities of people with visual this category is a system that usually requires a lot impairments. This area consists of nine buildings of information to analyze the scope to have high with various other facilities such as kitchen, health computation [14]. facilities, sports and, etc.[8]. The third category is Positions Locator Devices Based on the questionnaire at appendix 1 that has (PLDs). PLDs is the research that is used to been conducted on respondents in the WyataGuna determine the right position by utilizing Global PSBN foundation, it can be concluded that the System for Mobile Communication (GSM) visually impaired person in this area needs a tool technology and Global Positioning System (GPS) in that can be used to provide information about the order to provide information about locations and building, outdoor and indoor area. They have directions to the visually impaired people [15][16]. requested that the application can be installed on a This research, usually, is used to guide users from a smartphone since they have familiar to operate a current location to a destination in the outdoor area. touchscreen smartphone. This research is included in the EOAs category, According to all the description above, this where the Estimote beacons will be implemented in research purposed the design of an embedded this system in order to provide location awareness system of awareness location uses Estimote beacons to the visually impaired people in the unknown collaborated with an Android-based smartphone for surrounding area. Since the communication media the visually impaired in PSBN Wyataguna. All the of this system is using Bluetooth, the media of data information will be delivered by a smartphone processing and delivering information (database) using the audio and sound module. are done using a software Android-based smartphone device. When the system is detecting the Estimote beacons, the information will be 2. RESEARCH METHOD delivered through the sound module from the smartphone. This system will be tested in the indoor Formerly, research conducted and focused on and outdoor area, located at School of Applied traditional aids in the form of ordinary white cane Science Building at area Telkom University for the which is usually used to guide the visually impaired indoor and outdoor tested area will be done at three- people to do mobile and activities. According to building near School of Applied Science Building. Bor-Shing Lin et. al, research on the development The buildings are School of Business Economic of the ordinary white cane as assistive aid for known as Miossu Building and School of visually impaired people was divided into three Communication Business as Intata Building. categories [9]. The first category is Electronics Travel Aids 3. PROPOSED SYSTEM (ETAs) which is a general assistant tool that aims to help people with visual impairments to avoid the 3.1 Estimote Configuration obstacles. ETAs-based research usually classified This system is proposed using the integration of into a system that uses cameras, RFID, Ultrasonic Bluetooth hardware, known as Estimote beacons. sensors, infrared sensors and a kinetic system. This device is a small device and can broadcast Some researchers have been developed a module Bluetooth signals with acceptable range extension to be able to enhance the function of the specifications of more than 100 meters. The choice 216 Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology 15th January 2019. Vol.96. No 1 © 2005 – ongoing JATIT & LLS ISSN: 1992-8645 www.jatit.org E-ISSN: 1817-3195 of this Bluetooth device since this device is easy to install in places that are difficult to reach a wi-fi signal, cheap and has low power consumption with long battery [17]. This device is configuring using USR-TCP232-Tes V1.4, Estimote SDK, and Android Studio. The purposed system can be seen in Figure.1 below. Figure 3: Estimote-Beacons Map Outdoor Location Figure 3 describes the map of Estimote beacons in the outdoor area. Estimote beacon are installed in Selaru building (School of Applied Science), Intata building (School of Communication Business, and Figure 1: Diagram Block of Estimote-Beacons Miossu building (school of Economy Business). The installation of Estimote beacons in outdoor locations is done by broadcasting the maximum Based on the picture above, it can be seen that signal of Bluetooth signals.