The development of bus detection devices for the blind people using radio frequency applications / Mohd Zikrul Hakim Noor

The thesis outlines the development of bus detection devices for blind people using radio frequency identification technology. The blind uses auditory and tactile clues such as the walking stick also known as white cane in their daily life. The limitation of the walking stick is that a blind person must come into close proximity with their surroundings in order to determine the location of an obstacle. For that basis, various devices have been developed such as the Sonicguide, the Mowat sensor, the Laser cane and the Navbelt. However, these devices can only assist the blind at a pedestrian crossing. Therefore, the project aims to develop a bus detection device prototype using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for the blind. The device will assist the blind in detecting incoming buses at the bus stop, retrieve the relevant information from database and produces voiced description as an output mechanism. The research methodologies include the development of prototype, Graphical User Interface (GUI), database management system and output mechanism. The testing and validation processes consist of experiments on tag performance, antenna coverage pattern and the study of speed parameter. The discussion on experimental results, database, and functionality of output mechanism are also provided.