Researchers asked 12 participants — 11 of which being legally blind — to test their AR prototype by walking both up and downstairs using the prototype in their preferred settings. Overall, participants showed a 6.42% decrease in navigation time when going downstairs and a 5.78% decrease in navigation time when going upstairs while using the prototype in their preferred settings. With the prototype, some participants spent less time looking down, some stopped using their feet to feel the stairs, and some no longer held onto the railing while walking. Participants all reported a high level of psychological security when using the prototype. 

Results of AR Prototype Study

This prototype projects lights onto the edges of stair treads to increase their visibility from a greater distance, while also generating auditory feedback to give an overview of the stair direction and number of treads. Participants in the study were able to choose from three auditory choices — simple sonification in the form of a “ding”, a human voice, and a combination of sonification and the human voice. There were also five projection settings: flash, flashing edge, moving edge, moving horizontal zebra, and moving vertical zebra. Participants could additionally select whether they would like the projections to be blue or a dull yellow.


University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Researchers at  Cornell Tech and Columbia University explored the capacity for AR to assist people with low vision in their ability to navigate stairs. They tested two prototypes: a simulated AR projection with a smartphone and a Microsoft HoloLens (a type of smartglass) prototype. 

Stair Navigation with AR

Zhao, Yuhang & Kupferstein, Elizabeth & Castro, Brenda & Feiner, Steven & Azenkot, Shiri. (2019). Designing AR Visualizations to Facilitate Stair Navigation for People with Low Vision. 10.1145/3332165.3347906. 


Designing AR Visualizations to Facilitate Stair Navigation for People with Low Vision


People with low vision may face a reduced sense of depth perception and peripheral vision. Stair navigation therefore proves to be a dangerous mobility challenge, as people with low vision experience higher rates of falling and injuring themselves. Those with low vision may walk slowly, keep their line of vision downwards to see the current tread and the next one, and shuffle their feet to feel the edges. 


Challenge of Navigating Stairs for People with Low Vision


AR Prototype for Assisted Stair Navigation

This prototype visualizes different stages of stairs using colored glow effects: red for upper and lower landings, cyan for the first and last surface level changes, yellow for the step following the first surface level change and preceding the last surface level change, and blue for the middle stairs. The Hololens also generated a path visualization to display the directional trend of the stairs. Beep sonification and audio description were once again utilized in the design. 


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