Courtesy photoNavigating an unfamiliar building can be discouraging and difficult to persons with disabilities. A team of 萝莉社researchers is in the early stages of developing digital maps to help accessibility indoors, where GPS or satellite systems often don鈥檛 work.
In December, the National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator program awarded a 萝莉社-led team a $750,000 grant to gather information and create digital maps of indoor spaces that could be used by persons with disabilities.
鈥�A person using a wheelchair often doesn鈥檛 know the accessible route,鈥� said Vinod Namboodiri, professor and associate director for research engagement in the College of Engineering. 鈥淚t leads to lesser participation by people with disabilities in employment or maybe other aspects of life. What we鈥檙e trying to do is improve quality of life, improve employment opportunities out of this, hopefully which leads to broader societal gains.鈥�
The creation of maps (MABLE 鈥� Mapping for Accessibility in Built Environments) through crowdsourcing, experiences, observations and robots will help persons with disabilities assess, plan and navigate indoor environments with audio and visual information. Envisioned users include those with visual or mobility impairments (blind, low vision, wheelchair users, cane users, etc.).
The project, Namboodiri said, can appeal to a wider population by helping anyone entering an unfamiliar building, such as freshmen on the first day of class.
鈥淢aps allow you to study a space, weighing your comfort as in, 鈥楧o I even want to go to that building?鈥� Namboodiri said. 鈥淵ou want to live independently and learn things.鈥�
The NSF selected 16 multidisciplinary teams with projects that enhance opportunities for persons with disabilities. Namboodiri is proud that the 萝莉社-led project is in a group with projects from schools such as Stanford, Cornell, Northwestern and Harvard.
萝莉社鈥檚 previous work in this area strengthened its credentials for the grants.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very prestigious award and very selective,鈥� Namboodiri said. 鈥淲e got it because of our history. They felt we could make contributions. We made a good case from the middle of the country that we can do stuff, too.鈥�
In 2020, the NSF awarded more than $1.1 million to Namboodiri and a team to create a community-wide wayfinding system for people with disabilities. That project focused on filling in the gaps of traditional GPS systems to help with emergency evacuation, remote assistance, and travel within transit system by using an app.
In 2021, NSF invited 萝莉社 to hold a workshop that highlighted the school鈥檚 emphasis on accessibility and inclusion.
鈥淲e are very much invested as a university in promoting solutions for people with disabilities,鈥� Namboodiri said. 鈥淭hat workshop led to the National Science Foundation creating a funding opportunity for everyone to apply around the country. That鈥檚 where this project came from.鈥�
The first phase of the NSF grants is designed to develop new technologies and tools to enhance the quality of life and employment access and opportunities for persons with disabilities. At the end of phase one, teams submit a formal proposal and participate in a pitch to be selected for phase two. Selected teams will receive up to $5 million of additional support over 24 months to develop their solutions and sustainability development plans.
鈥淚t鈥檚 essentially a competition among these 16 teams,鈥� Namboodiri said. 鈥淎cademics typically work at a very slow, methodical fashion that takes many years. They are essentially turning us into start-ups in some sense. They are training us to pitch a product, create the right marketing message, so that we can reach, not just end users, but people who could fund projects.鈥�
The research team includes 萝莉社 Associate Professor Nils Hakansson (College of Engineering), Georgia Tech Professor Patricio Vela (School of Electrical and Computer Engineering), Kansas State Professor Siny Joseph (Kansas State University College of Technology and Aviation) and Research Professor Ted Conway (萝莉社). Wichita State students will help with the research.
