Exploring the Use of a Drone to Guide Blind Runners

People with visual impairments have a hard time getting consistent physical exercise, as they can not do some exercises, such as running outside, without a sighted guide. People with visual impairments have been shown to have higher spatial localization skills than sighted people, which lead us to believe that they could follow a drone on a running-track environment. This paper presents a feasibility study where we investigate the ability to localize and follow a low-cost flying drone in people with visual impairments. A Wizard of Oz style study was conducted with 2 blind participants. Our results indicate that blind individuals can accurately localize the drone and follow it. Qualitative results also indicate that the participants were comfortable with following the drone and had high efficacy when it came to following and localizing the drone. The study supports future development of a fully functioning prototype.