Approximate Computing-based Assistive Shopping Trolley for Visually Challenged People

Abstract

Sighting is one of the five senses that help us to live in this world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 2 billion people face vision challenges that impose serious life problems. The visually challenged must utilize their senses, i.e., touch, smell, taste, and sound, to perform their daily tasks. Visually challenged people suffer from visual impairment, either partial or total. Their treatment could be corrective eyeglasses, assistive devices, and medical therapy. In this work, we target an assistive device, i.e., we propose, design and implement an approximate computing-based smart shopping cart for visually challenged people. The proposed assistive shopping cart utilizes the Internet of Things (IoT), e.g., Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors, an Infrared (IR) Sensor, and an Arduino microcontroller. Audio was used during the shopping journey to tell the shopper his exact location on the mall, and the name and price of each item he scans. Combining many features in a single cart will result in a revolutionary device that might revolutionize the face of shopping for the visually impaired. The proposed cart improvements include obstacle detection, voice commands, and emergency assistance. The design cart emphasizes the potential of technology to bridge barriers and empower people with disabilities, as well as the beneficial influence that inclusive solutions may have on overall quality of life.