Abstract：
UNav is a computer-vision-based localization and navigation aid that provides step-by-step route instructions to reach selected destinations without any infrastructure in both indoor and outdoor environments. Despite the initial literature highlighting UNav\'s potential, clinical efficacy has not yet been rigorously evaluated. Herein, we assess UNav against standard in-person travel directions (SIPTD) for persons with blindness or low vision (PBLV) in an ecologically valid environment using a non-inferiority design. Twenty BLV subjects (age = 38 ± 8.4; nine females) were recruited and asked to navigate to a variety of destinations, over short-range distances (<200 m), in unfamiliar spaces, using either UNav or SIPTD. Navigation performance was assessed with nine dependent variables to assess travel confidence, as well as spatial and temporal performances, including path efficiency, total time, and wrong turns. The results suggest that UNav is not only non-inferior to the standard-of-care in wayfinding (SIPTD) but also superior on 8 out of 9 metrics, as compared to SIPTD. This study highlights the range of benefits computer vision-based aids provide to PBLV in short-range navigation and provides key insights into how users benefit from this systematic form of computer-aided guidance, demonstrating transformative promise for educational attainment, gainful employment, and recreational participation.
摘要：
UNAV是一种基于计算机视觉的定位和导航辅助工具，可在室内和室外环境中提供分步路线指示，以在没有任何基础设施的情况下到达选定的目的地。尽管最初的文献强调了UNAV的潜力，临床疗效尚未得到严格评估.在这里，我们使用非劣效性设计,在生态有效的环境中,针对失明或低视力(PBLV)患者,对照标准当面行驶路线(SIPTD)评估UNAV.招募了20名BLV受试者（年龄=38±8.4；9名女性），并要求他们导航到各种目的地，短距离(<200米)，在陌生的空间，使用UNAV或SIPTD。导航性能用九个因变量进行评估，以评估旅行信心，以及空间和时间表现，包括路径效率，总时间,错误的转弯。结果表明，UNAV不仅不劣于寻路护理标准（SIPTD），而且在9个指标中的8个指标上也更优越，与SIPTD相比。这项研究强调了基于计算机视觉的辅助工具在短距离导航中为PBLV提供的一系列好处，并提供了用户如何从这种系统形式的计算机辅助指导中受益的关键见解。展示教育成就的变革承诺，有酬就业,和娱乐参与。
