Tanauan City Integrated High School

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Obstacle Detector and Navigation

Assistant ID for Secured Mobility

A Science Investigatory Project presented by:

Eunice Bianca U. Bonifacio

Aeron Marc B. Decatoria

John Matthew V. Fulgencio

Aira Crizel V. Dimaunahan

Liezle M. Rosales

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for

Research IV of STEM-JHS Curriculum

Christopher R. Maruzzo

Research Adviser

Osmerando P. Alcantara Jr.

Research Teacher

April 2020
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

DEDICATION

It is our genuine gratefulness that we dedicate this study to our beloved

parents who’s been our number one supporters from the very start. They gave us
all the inspirations, advices, financial support and the strength that we needed in
those times that we wanted to give up. They’ve been a very big part of this
research for we could not have reached this without them.

~2~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, all praises and thanks to our God, Almighty for His
guidance, blessings, and our source of hope and strength throughout our hardwork
to accomplish this research successfully.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude for Sir Alcantara, who
assisted and guided us while making the study which molded the research into the
way it is today. We are immensely grateful for all of the knowledge that was
pounded down on our minds which will be of use for the rest of our lives.

Special thanks should be given also to our research advisers, specifically

Mr. Christopher Angelo Maruzzo and Ms. Rox Wale Equias, who motivated us
and inspired us to finish our study. They never failed for making us believe that
we can do that and that they’re always behind to support us on everything in
anyway they can.

Our product would not be possible without the persons who helped us in
building and testing it. Therefore, we would like to give thanks to JAG Electronics
for being our source of materials and guiding us on how to utilize them properly.
We also want to acknowledge Mark Justine Macaraeg for helping us in assembling
and programming the prototype for our study.

We are also thankful for Mrs. Beverly Ignacio who helped us

wholeheartedly and with all her willingness on out financial problems.

We would like to acknowledge our school, Tanauan City Integrated High

School for providing us facilities and equipment that we needed for our research.
We could not have done this without the warm help and welcome of all the
utilities and teachers.

~3~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

We are extending our heartfelt thanks to all out friends who did all their
best to make us always laugh with their sense of humor which made us reduce our
worries.

Lastly, we would like to sincerely thank all our parents for all their love,
support and the sacrifices they made for educating us for a better future. Thanks
for all your prayers and valuable advices that positively affected us a lot.

~4~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE
Title Page..........................................................................................................................................i
Dedication........................................................................................................................................ii
Acknowledgments..........................................................................................................................iii
Table of Content..............................................................................................................................v
List of Figures................................................................................................................................vii
List of Tables................................................................................................................................viii
Abstract..........................................................................................................................................vii
CHAPTERS
I The Problem

Introduction………………………………………………………………………13
Statement of the Problem………………………………………………………...14
Hypotheses……………………………………………………………………….15
Significance of the Study…………………………………………………………
15
Scope and Delimitation…………………………………………………………..15
II Review of Related Literatures
Related Literatures……………………………………………………………….17
Related Studies…………………………………………………………..……….19
Synthesis………………………………………………..………………………..21
Conceptual Framework………………………………………..…………………23
Definition of Terms………………………………………………..……………..25
III Research Design and Methodology
Research Design……………………………………………….………………....27
Research Flowchart……………...…………………………………………..…...28

~5~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Procedures………………………………………………………………………..29
Statistical
Treatment……………………………………………………………...32
IV Results and Discussion
Results of the Study
a. Obstacle Detection Capacity………………………………..……….34
b. SMS Notification……………………………………………………36
c. Acceptance Level……………………………………………………38
V Summary, Conclusions, Recommendations and Appendices
Summary of the Study…………………………………………………….…….41
Findings…………………………………………………………………..……...42
Conclusions…………………………………………………………….………...42
Recommendation……………………………………………………...…………42
References…………………………………………………………………...…………...44
Appendices………………………………………………………………………….........46
Curriculum
Vitae……………………………………………………………………………

~6~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

List of Figures
Figure 1: Input-Process-Output……………………………..……………………………17
Figure 2: Flowchart………………………………………………………………………21
Figure 3: Materials…………………………………………………………………….....25
Figure 4: Building Process……………………………………………………………….26
Figure 5: Codes…………………………………………………………………………..26
Figure 6: Obstacle Detector Device Testing……………………………………………..28
Figure 7: Analysis of Data..29
Figure 8: Calculation of Possible Angles of Detection…………………………..27

~7~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

List of Tables
Table 1: Obstacle Detection Accuracy……………………………………………25
Table 2: SMS Notification Accuracy……………………………………………..28
Table 3.1: Appearance Assessment………………………………………………30
Table 3.2: User-friendliness Assessment…………………………………………31

~8~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

List of Appendices
Appendix A: Set-up
Appendix B: Gantt Chart
Appendix C: Student Registration Form
Appendix D:
1. Appearance Assessment.48
2. User-friendliness Assessment.49
Appendix E: Price of Components.49

~9~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

~ 10 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

ABSTRACT

Researchers: Eunice Bianca U. Bonifacio

Aeron Marc B. Decatoria

John Matthew V. Fulgencio

Aira Crizel V. Dimaunahan

Liezle M. Rosales

Title of the Study: OBSTACLE DETECTOR AND NAVIGATION

ASSISTANT ID FOR SECURED MOBILITY

Key Concepts: mobility assistive device, obstacle detector, detection capacity,

visual impairment, locomotion

Category: Science Innovation

Adviser: Christopher R. Maruzzo

Exploring the details of the surroundings is crucial as it gives the brain a

signal for navigation, however, it becomes a major challenge due to visual
impairment. Mobility assistive devices are tools designed to guide humans who
has difficulty in locomotion that allows prominent flexibility and a greater degree
of independence. Obstacle detectors is a type of an Electronic Travel Aid (ETA)
that is applied to ground navigators to detect objects and terrain that could block
movement. The attempts to substitute for the lost sense of vision make way for the
continuous development of the device, with the aim of producing an accurate,
efficient, and reliable gadget that would ensure the safety in navigation. With the
ultrasonic sensors embedded on the device, the designed system is capable of
detecting obstructions on the way of the user and transmits a notification to the
connected smart phone via SMS Message. The sensor detects objects and sends
~ 11 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

the information to the Arduino Nano. Once the module receives the data, it will
transfer it to the mobile phone and through that, the user will have awareness and
minimal information on his environment. The device’s detection capacity was
identified by positioning the product at 70°,80°,90°,100°,110° at distances 90
cm,110 cm,130 cm,150 cm, and 170 cm for each mentioned angle. Based on
experimentations, it has been concluded that the obstacle Detector ID is capable of
detecting all obstacles up to 170 cm on a straight line or at 90° while at other
angles, the result may vary.

~ 12 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Chapter I

The Problem

The term ‘persons with disability’ has a broad scope of affliction ranging
from impairments to psychosocial disabilities. For visually impaired people, in
particular, losing one sense results to the brain to adjust and rewire the unused part
to function for other senses which enhances them even more, which best explains
why blind people give attention to auditory cues. However, it still plays a
significant role that no other part of the body can substitute. Exploring the details
of the environment that gives the brain a signal for safe locomotion and the facts
obtained by other system is less important compared to the crucial information
conveyed by the eyes. Navigating is a critical part having only limited information
on the surroundings, making it difficult for the person to make his own path.
Disabilities change a person’s normal routine wherein simple tasks are considered
to be complex and difficult for them. The most common problem in locomotion is
that it leads to accidents such as tripping and colliding with objects being the
hazards that may inflict further harm. Safe locomotion for PWD’s opens the
opportunities for engineers, researchers, and scientists to explore the possible
solutions.

This gives way to the creation of mobility assistive devices (MAD) which
are tools designed to assist individuals who have difficulty with moving around to
reduce the need for supervision and allow more prominent flexibility and freedom.
The MAD subdivides into two more specifisc categories: portable devices and
wearable devices. The most common among the former that exist today are canes,
wheelchairs and guide dogs. Portable devices on the other side can be carried,
conveyed and transported for the ease of use. It plays the role of a supporting
mechanism. Along with these are walking assistance devices and electronic travel
aids (ETA) under portable devices. These are specially designed gadgets for blind

~ 13 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

people to navigate easily, and the best example is an obstacle detector. It is applied
to ground navigators to detect objects that could possibly block movement. The
detection of obstructions that may impede motion decreases the risk of the
occurrence of collision that may cause the user to fall.

Though it has long been beneficial for the disabled community, such things
bring inevitable risks like how lack of knowledge and training about the device
could contribute to further injuries. Based on research, many users of mobility aids
aren’t properly trained with one-third of them receiving it from a medical
professional and only 20% received proper training (Leonard, 2017). This face
some problems as for how difficulty on handling the gadget would lessen the
productivity of the person which is the opposite of its supposed task to give
convenience.

Hence, just a single way would be insufficient and the integration of

different methods is crucial to provide user an accurate and reliable information
about his environment. In this study, both concepts of mobility aids and obstacle
detector are combined to innovate existing devices by creating a portable,
wearable and comfortable gadget that will function as an obstacle detector and
navigation assistant for persons with disability that will help them attain safe
mobility.

Statement of the Problem:

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of “Obstacle Sensor and

Navigation Assistant ID for Secured Mobility.” Specifically, this study intended to
assess the answers in the following questions:

1. How accurate is the obstacle sensor in terms of:

a. Obstacle Detection?

b. SMS Notification?

~ 14 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

2. Is the obstacle sensor acceptable in terms of:

a. Appearance?

b. User-friendliness?

Hypotheses

This study sought to test the following null hypotheses:

1. The device could not obstacles at varying distances and angles. The SMS is not
received at once.

2. The obstacle sensor’s appearance and user-friendliness do not pass the pilot
users’ assessments.

Significance of the Study

The study Obstacle Detector and Navigation Assistant ID for Secured

Mobility will be beneficial specifically to the following:

To the consumers, this study would help people especially those with
disabilities for the detection of obstacles lying ahead.

To the producers, the researchers will be needing parts for the robot
building which can help them create money.

To the community, the robot will provide assistance for Persons with
Disabilities (PWD) upon roaming around which can reduce risks such as fall
injuries.

To the future researchers, this study would serve as their basis and their
pattern in conducting the similar study.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study is mainly concentrated in the effectiveness of ‘Obstacle

Detector and Navigation Assistant ID for Secured Mobility’ on improving the
~ 15 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

ability of PWDs to travel. This research was situated in Tanauan City Integrated
High School and only limited to a group of students from Grade 10 STEM from
school year 2019-2020. The test in the study were conducted to identify only the
largest distance of an object until it was considered unrecognizable by the device.
The respondents’ perception of the device was also acquired through a survey.
With the guidance of an expert in the field of robotics, the flaws and technicalities
were resolved.

~ 16 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Chapter II

Review of Related Literatures and Studies

This chapter revolves on providing information about the study on how

Obstacle Detector and Navigation Assistant can be used for secured mobility by
including concepts from resources that support the research.

Related Literatures

According to the famous philosopher and scientist Aristotle, our knowledge

about the outside world depends on five sense organs and sight is one of those five
organs. And visually-impaired are those unfortunate people who are completely or
partially suffering with eye sight issues. According to the survey of World Health
Organization (WHO) and International Agency for Prevention of Blindness
(IAPB), approximately 285 million people around the world are visually-impaired
among which 39 million are completely blind (Nowshin, et al., 2017). The cases
of falls have been increasing each day, and having impaired sight is one of the
reasons that contributes to this. This kind of accident is common among the
elderly that can cause serious injuries, disabilities, and early death. In solution to
this, it is significant to have good vision for maintaining balance, estimating
distances as well as for identifying low-contrast hazards and discerning spatial
relationships (Crews JE, et al., 2018).

In today's generation, robotics is the most interesting and fast-growing

thing. Robots have their own intelligence that is exact to cover the whole provided
spaces. Infrared sensors are present to the robot which is used to detect the
incoming obstacles in the way of Robot. It will move to its particular way and will
avoid the obstacles in the path. Autonomous Intelligence helps the robot to
perform its task without the human guidance (Burrewar, et al., 2017).

~ 17 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

For persons with disabilities, they use robotic assistive devices to improve
their quality of life. Such devices like robotic feeders and socially assistive robots
are becoming more pertinent in clinics. As it evolves, there is a rising relevance
for professionals in rehabilitations to be aware of available systems and
developing research efforts. Both clinician and researchers need an understanding
for the direction that assistive robots are taking in the future (Brose, et al., 2010).

For the development of assistive devices for elders, obstacle detection is

considered as one of the important features. This function is used to detect
obstructions when the user either is inside or outside of the environment; and it is
vital to lessen the risk of a collision with objects which leads to falls. This is a
serious issue in the elderly population. According to the Centre for Disease
Control and Prevention, every 1 out of 3 sixty-five-year-old adults falls each year.
And to those who undergo this incident has a 20-30% chance to experience
moderate to severe injuries that makes it harder to live by themselves (Mustapha,
2016). Anything that deals with human assistance must consider requirements
such as simplicity, user friendliness, and portability in the output. Behind-the-
scenes operations that takes place in the system needs not make the user worry
about their well-being. In the field of obstacle detection, one of the used sensors is
the ultrasonic sensor array. This is capable of providing map of the obstacles in the
environment (Patankar and Ashish, 2016).

Detection and avoidance of obstacles can be considered crucial to the

design of mobile robots. This technology gives the robots senses that they can use
to navigate without damaging themselves in uncertain surroundings. An Obstacle
Avoiding Robot is intended in this paper that can detect barriers in its path. The
Arduino board was chosen as the microcontroller platform and the programming
was carried out using its software counterpart, Arduino Software (Ferdosi, et al.,
2017).

~ 18 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Redundant ultrasonic sensors are used in the obstacle detection module to

improve detection resolution and reliability of sensor information. Given the wide
dihedral detection angle of this, the resolution of identified objects is very small.
The approach implemented utilizes two ultrasonic sensors for half of the same
angle at all times (Gageik, Muller, and Montenegro, 2012).

Sensors such as those of ultrasonic and infrared are used for distance
measurements in mobile applications. This is utilized for the well-being of people
who are aged and/or have impaired vision. Prototypes that are actualized are tested
and shown to have accuracy ranging from 95% to 99% for distance measurements.
The system also exhibits commendable detection for different materials that
obstructs the path such as wood, plastic, concretes, plywood, and more (Mustapha,
Begg and Zayegh, 2013).

In developing nations, one of the main issues is road maintenance. Well-

maintained highways add a significant part to the economy of the country.
Identifying pavement distress like potholes and humps lessens the risk of
accidents. Ultrasonic sensors are used to locate and evaluate the depth and height
of the obstacles. The proposed system utilizes a global positioning system (GPS)
receiver to capture the geographical location coordinates of the potholes and
humps. The sensed data involves the depth of the pothole, the height of the hump,
and the geographic place that is stored in the (cloud) database (Golla, et al., 2015).

Related Studies

Since the dawn of the first humans, they’ve been hunting and gathering
food for themselves. Then agriculture which enabled them to stay in one place.
Industrial revolution changed everything by making products in a faster pace than
ever before. But humans are still haunted by many incidents such as plagues,
storms, and more. Because technology is evolving fast, this allows them to

~ 19 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

improve in many fields such as medicine, disaster preparedness, etc. This let
humans to age older and reproduce more than their ancestors. Today, there are
over 7 billion people communicating with each other through what technology has
given us. However, it is estimated that around the globe, there are 1.3 billion
people that lives with an impairment in their sight. Majority of these impaired
persons are the elderly with the age of 50 years and above (WHO, 2018).

Nowadays, there are some systems that assists on navigating pedestrians;

but not enough for helping those who have impairment in their vision. There is a
navigation aid that utilizes cellphones along with stereoscopy video system and
OpenCV library. It is able to reconstruct the surface of the surroundings with great
accuracy using algorithms for image recognition with the use of a stereoscopy
camera. Thus, this is able to provide information about the surrounding
obstructions (Bulat and Glowacz, 2016).

Many designs for an obstacle detection system exists, and a dense disparity
map is one of those. To form such a map, it needs to compute images of the stereo
camera. One advantage of using the design is that obstacles can be detected in 3D
whether it is indoor and outdoor environment. Adding algorithms, polar grid
representation, and filtering techniques results in robust detection of the ground in
every frame. To finalize, feedbacks such as beep sounds with different repetitions
are added to inform the user about the obstacles. Audio bone conducting
technology is utilized to play the sounds without disrupting its user on hearing
sounds on the surroundings (Rodriguez, et al., 2012).

One method for obstacle detection uses the depth information in the
environment to let the visually impaired avoid the impediments. The system is
usually comprised of three parts: scene detection, obstacle detection and a vocal
announcement. But there is a problem, and it is called over-segmentation. A
method to overcome this is by removing the edge and using the region growth

~ 20 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

method. This enables the system to detect static and moving obstacles (Huang,
Hsieh and Yeh, 2015). Another novel approach for detecting road surfaces and
obstacles appears. The high accuracy of this allows it to detect traffic isles as a
distinct class. The data that came from the stereo are transformed into a digital
elevation map (DEM). There are two proposed classifiers that categorizes objects:
density-based and road surface-based. The results of the former and latter
classifiers are combined, and fusion and error filtering are performed. This
algorithm was evaluated in an urban scenario and can be used in applications such
as collision avoidance to path planning (Oniga and Nedevshi, 2010).

Synthesis

Aristotle said that our knowledge on the outside world depends on the five
sense organs that we have including our eyes but visually impaired persons have
defects towards that (Nowshin, et. al). Adapted on the study, it is the main
problem which will be solved by an obstacle detection device, and so, impaired
people can live outside with no worries. Good vision is important for maintaining
balance, estimating distances, and discerning spatial relationships. Conversely,
having poor vision increases the risk for falls (Crews JE, et. al) which renders the
aim of this study to reduce fall injuries which may lead to critical and serious
conditions, especially for the elders and for the visually-impaired individuals.

In the field of Robotics, infrared sensors are being utilized for the detection
of obstructions wherein the robot will move its path avoiding those barriers
(Burrewar), on the other side, ultrasonic sensor will be utilized for the robot as it is
also able to warn the user if ever an obstacle is present around the parameter.
Robotic assistive devices are applied in clinics together with the clinicians to guide
persons with disabilities (Brose), the same as how the device of this study will
assist the disabled for moving with flexibility.

~ 21 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

In accordance to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, every 1 out
of 3 65-year old adults experiences falls each year and this incident has 20-30%
chance that it may lead to moderate to severe injuries (Mustapha). The robot will
give information on the elderlies’ path. Aside from that, it is in the form of an ID,
more comfortable for the user that may lessen such struggles.

Pinning for human assistance, the basic requirements are, it should be

simple, user friendly and portable (Patankar, Ashish) all applied on the device that
the study will create, given the fact that wearing an ID isn't a mess and actually
gives ease to the user.

Obstacle detection is an important feature of a mobile robot. It gives the

robot its senses with the use of Arduino board as the microcontroller and applied
programming (Ferdosi). Having the same method, Arduino also acted as the
microcontroller and was also programmed for the robot’s function. The resolution
of identified objects on a wide angle was improved by redundant ultrasonic sensor
which makes it more reliable (Gagelk, Muller and Montenegro). Similar with the
study, two ultrasonic sensor is applied and it was able to track obstructions around
on different angles with different distances. The geographical location of
obstructions on the pavement or in highways such as potholes and humps are
detected using global positioning system (GPS). Ultrasonic sensors are applied on
the system to evaluate the depth and height of these barriers (Golla et. al). It is
pertinent for the study as it justifies the use of ultrasonic for sensing an object’s
proximity while in difference, GPS was used to determine if the user’s in danger

Distance measurement sensors, such as ultrasonic and infrared sensors were

used in a prototype which showed 95 - 99% accuracy and moreover, detected
materials blocking the way (Mustapha, Begg, Zayegh) in agreement with this
research, for it will also utilize ultrasonic sensor which will contribute for the
detection of the obstacles surrounding, for the users navigation.

~ 22 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Conceptual Framework

In the past centuries of the history of humanity, there are already

unfortunate people who lived their lives as a blind or immobile person. This would
make them miserable for years to come as their capabilities would be very limited.
As time passes by, technologies and knowledge in science continues to evolve
fast. It gave way for better transportation methods (e.g., by motor) but also poses a
risk for those who have disabilities. This opens the field for obstacle detection to
help Persons with Disability which heightened the researchers’ interest – and
Obstacle Detector and Navigation Assistant ID is the fruit of the study. It has
features such as geolocation and messaging capabilities, and it contains an
ultrasonic sensor; these functions enable the robot to be portable, able to detect
said obstacles, and warn the user of the upcoming obstruction. With the installed
modules and abilities of the product, it may surely help toward the safe mobility of
PWDs.

As mentioned, Persons with Disability (PWD) are people who have

problems in terms of mobility and vision. They are usually seen assisted by canes,
wheelchairs and guide dogs. Sometimes, they might get caught into accidents such
as car crashes and falls. Using the capabilities of PWDs of the ODANA ID as
stated earlier, it may help alleviate and ease up the difficulty of PWDs experiences
when they are in motion. Thus, it may lessen risks for tragic incidents that may
come to these people.

Mobility is defined as the ability to be mobile; or in other words, the ability

to move. This is what some PWDs lack of because they have deficiency in their
sight and movement. Engineers, inventors, and scientists from different walks of
life achieve the safe mobility of PWDs using assisting tools such as canes, guide
dogs, wheelchairs, etc. Safe mobility allows for PWDs to travel in an unknown

~ 23 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

place to them worry-free and, as mentioned, reduce their chance being a victim in
fatal accidents.

Obstacle Detector and Navigation Assistant (ODANA) ID focuses on solely

helping PWDs that have problems in their sense of sight and locomotion through
the function of obstacle detection. The main goal of the fruit of the research is to
ease up the difficulty of PWDs in moving in their everyday life by applying safe
mobility in every step and turn of the way.

Research Paradigm

Below are the figures constructed by the researchers to identify the

variables and their relationship with each other which will be used for the study.

Independent Variable
Mean
Capability of Obstacle
Detector and Navigation Weighted Mean
Obstacle Detector and
Assistant for Secured General Weighted Mean Navigation Assistant ID
Mobility for Secured Mobility
Standard Deviation
Dependent Variable
Likert Scale
Safe mobility of users

Figure 1. Input- Process- Output

The researchers used the Input-Process-Output design for the paradigm of
the study. In the first box, the input is stated wherein the independent variable
included in the study is the capabilities of the Obstacle Detector and Navigation
Assistant for Secured Mobility while the dependent variable is the safe mobility of
the users. The second box served as the process with the statistical treatment that
the researchers will utilize to obtain the needed data and results which will be
procure using Mean. The third and last box includes the output of the study which

~ 24 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

signifies the use of Obstacle Detector and Navigation Assistant for Secured
Mobility.

Definition of Terms

The following important terms were defined precisely by the dictionary and
how it is used by the researchers. The following used words were familiarized to
achieve a clear understanding of the study:

GPS – also known as Global Positioning Satellite, it provides geolocation and

time information to a GPS receiver anywhere on or near the Earth where there is
an unobstructed line of sight. As mentioned, it will be a tool that will tell the user
about the upcoming obstacles in the path.

Mobility – it is the ability to move or be moved freely and easily. In the context of
the research, it refers to the state of the capacity of the person to travel.

Obstacle Detection – the process of using sensors, data structures, and algorithms
to detect objects or terrain types that impede motion. In the study, it is simply a
feature that will be used to scan the environment.

Programming – it is the process of designing and building an executable

computer program for accomplishing a specific computing task. In this study, it is
what gives life to a robot by giving a particular job to carry out.

PWD – abbreviated for a Person with Disability, includes those who have long-
term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction
with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on
an equal basis with others. As stated in the study, they are oversimplified to be
people who have difficulty in their movement and vision.

~ 25 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Sensor – it is a device whose purpose is to detect events or changes in its

environment and send information to another electronic device. This particular
module will be thing used to scan and detect objects in the surroundings.

Ultrasonic – these are sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible
limit of human hearing. In this research, it will contribute to the detection of
objects in the environment.

~ 26 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Chapter III

Research Design and Methodology

In this chapter, the methodology discussed the research design that was
applied which enabled the researchers to distinguish if the robot will greatly help
those who have difficulty in their vision and motion.

Research Design

This study, ‘Obstacle Detector and Navigation Assistant for Secured

Mobility’ adopted the experimental method. This in particular can answer the
questions and the rationale of the study. Its main concern is experimenting subjects
with high causal or internal validity. It is a blueprint of series of procedures that
allows the researchers to manipulate the factors that may affect the outcome of an
experiment. This is through reaching a sound conclusion about the relation
between the dependent and independent variable.

This involves a scientific approach wherein one or a set of variables are

manipulated while the other array of variables is being measured as these will be
the main focus of the research.

Experimental method is explained to have the purpose of discovering the

effect of certain factors to a variable in which the question ‘how’ and ‘why’ is
being answered. According to them, experimental research must acquire control,
manipulation and randomization.

~ 27 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Phase 1: Collection of Materials

Phase 2: Building the Obstacle Detector ID

Phase 3: Programming

Finding the limit of the Range of

Detection
Phase 4: Testing
Identifying the speed of sending
and Collecting messages
Data
Assessment of the Disabled

Phase 5: Analyzing the Data

~ 28 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Phase 1: Collection of Materials

In this study, the researchers utilized the following materials and

instruments: Arduino Nano, Ultrasonic Sensors (2), Neo-6M GPS Module, and
SIM800L GSM Module, male to female wires, breadboard, tri-cut SIM card, and
soldering kit.

Arduino Nano- This served as the microcontroller that acts as the brain of the
device. It is consist of a programmable circuit board and the piece of software that
run on the computer used for writing and uploading computer code.

Ultrasonic Sensors- This part functions by detecting obstructions the path of the
device.

Neo-6M GPS Module- This module is installed to give the user the present
location of the device.

SIM800L GSM Module- This is a sim card holder used to establish

communication for the sending of SMS from the device to the smart phone
connected to it.

Figure 3: Materials

Phase 2: Building the Obstacle Detector Robot

General Procedure

The researchers constructed the Obstacle detector ID by assembling all the

gathered materials such as Arduino Nano, Ultrasonic Sensors (2), Neo-6M GPS
Module, SIM800L GSM Module, jumper wires. The following components have

~ 29 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

been attached to their entitled areas and the wires has been linked to their
designated pins on the board.

Figure 4: Building Process

Phase 3: Programming

Programming requires a certain knowledge and expertise which requires the

highest cruciality in building a functional robot. The Obstacle detector ID was
programmed just focusing on its expected task with additional features of having
SMS Message as a response to obstacles and GPS Locator which makes it more
unique compared to other existing mobility aids.

~ 30 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Figure 5: Codes

Phase 4: Obstacle Detector dEVICE Testing and Data Collection

The treatment was conducted via simulation and done in the vicinity of
Tanauan City Integrated High School, Tanauan City, Batangas. To distinguish its
effectiveness, the following factors are observed in the product: Obstacle
Detection Capacity, and SMS Notification speed The Obstacle Detection capacity
was tested by observing the distance ranges on how far the obstacle is detectable
until it turns out to be undetected. Its features must have some limits; and the
objective in this test is to define its limitation that will greatly impact the
functionality of the product. The device was placed on a certain location which
served as the point of reference. The experiments began at 70° and increments by
10 until 110° with fixed distances of 90 cm, 110 cm, 130 cm, 150 cm, and 170 cm
on each angle from the position of the user. The straight line extending from the
device was considered as the angle that would form 90 towards the imaginary line
formed at the origin point and that served as the basis for the later parts. A sample
obstacle was placed at different angles and distances with respect to the reference
point to test its accuracy. Ultrasonic sensor is a wide range detector which
measures distance through ultrasonic waves. The sensor discharges such waves
and receives the reflected wave from the target wherein it uses a single ultrasonic
element for both emission and reception. This made this type of sensor suitable for
this study. Along with these is SMS Notification which stands for Short Message
Service and has many purposes such as verification and communication. Texts
sent through it is usually transmitted within the span of five seconds. The
notification speed was observed which identified the response rate of the ID after
it detects that the user is on harm.

~ 31 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

The perception of the respondents was also tested using a questionnaire to

determine their opinion with regards to the appearance and user-friendliness of the
product.

Figure 6: Obstacle Detector Device Testing

Phase 5: Analysis of Data

Statistical Treatment

The information collected were treated carefully and analyzed in

accordance with the statistical treatments that will be utilized.

Mean. This was used to determine the SMS response rate.

Standard Deviation. This was used for identifying the consistency of the result.

Weighted mean and general weighted mean. This was used order to ascertain
the user’s perception towards the device.

Likert Scale. This was used to interpret the user’s perception towards the obstacle
detector ID.

~ 32 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Figure 7: Analysis of Data

~ 33 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Chapter IV

Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation of Data

This particular chapter of the research shows the extensive breakdown and
interpretation of the data collected. These were displayed in terms of tables and
then followed by text that is ordered based on the arrangement of the problems in
the first chapter.

1. Obstacle Detection Capacity

The device was placed on a fixed position, and that served as the origin. At
70°, 80°, 90°, 100°, 110° from the location of the device, the capability of the
Obstacle Detector ID is tested by manipulating the obstacle and putting it at a
distance of 90 cm, 110 cm, 130 cm, 150 cm, and 170 cm from the sensor for each
angle. The results were shown and interpreted on the tables below.

Table 1: Obstacle Detection Accuracy

Trials Distances Angles

(in centimeters)
70° 80° 90° 100° 110°
1 90 Accurate Accurate Accurate Accurate Accurate
2 110 Accurate Accurate Accurate Accurate Accurate
3 130 Not Accurate Accurate Accurate Not
Accurate Accurate
4 150 Not Accurate Accurate Accurate Not
Accurate Accurate
5 170 Not Not Accurate Not Not
Accurate Accurate Accurate Accurate

~ 34 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Legend: Accurate - Obstacle Detected

Not Accurate - Obstacle Not Detected
From the table shown, it is seen that at an angle of 70°, the device would
only be able to detect an object from the range of 90-110 cm. Obstructions
between 130 cm and 170 cm away from the sensor were failed to be tracked.

As the angle of the device was adjusted to 80˚, there was a notable
difference for it is now able to detect obstacles at a range of 90-150 cm. Most
objects were detected with an exception for the object 170 cm away from the
sensor.

The data above shows that when the device is adjusted at 90˚, all blocking
objects from the whole parameter can be detected by the sensor. Still, same
distances were examined and it can be concluded that an obstacle 90 cm away up
until 170 cm was the device’s capacity for detection.

On a similar study, obstacles from 30 cm to 170 cm when facing 90˚ angle

are discerned by the detection sensors. If the obstacle is at 90˚, it is possible for the
sensor to identify the obstacle up to 150cm (Mustapha, 2016). Distances from 110
cm below can also detected because sensors at wider angles (left and right).
Conclusively, the device is able to see all possible obstacles that is present along
the pathway of 50 cm according to Department of Transport in Western Australia.

As shown in the previous table, the device, again, was put at an angle of
100 ˚ and as a result, only trial 5 failed to be detected by the sensor.

The table above shows the outcome of the last set of trials with the device
positioned at 110˚. From the data, it can be deduced that most of the obstacles
failed to be detected. Only the first and second trials at a distance of 90 cm to 110
was tracked by the sensor. It can be derived that obstructions at a distance of 90
cm can be sensed at any of those five angles.

~ 35 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

In the table, at 70°, the Obstacle Detector ID failed to recognize the

obstacle at a range of 130-170 cm. At table 2, with an angle of 80°, the device
turned out to have wider capacity compared to the first test and its detection
extends up to 150cm, however obstacles at farther distances were considered
undetectable. According to the Department of Transport of Western Australia in
2012, the sensor is adept to detect all obstacles that exist on its path with the width
of 50 cm. The possible angle for obstacle detection can be determined using the
equation below.

Figure 8: Calculation of Possible Angles of Detection

This was used as a basis in this study to explain why at such angle and on a
certain distance, the mobility aid would fail to distinguish the obstacle. It also
makes it clear why the findings at 70° and 110° are the same as well at 80° and
100° because they have the same distance from the altitude which is also the point
facing the device at 90°.

2. SMS Notification

~ 36 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

SMS or Short Message Service is a tool used for the device. Its function
fulfills the need to send the user warnings about the coming obstacles that blocks
the pathway. The delay before the wearer receives the alert depends on the signal
strength of the carrier on the area and the environment itself.

Table 2: SMS Notification Accuracy

Trials Time (in sec.) Interpretation

(Accurate or Not
Accurate)
1 2.42 Accurate
2 2.53 Accurate
3 2. 47 Accurate
4 2.51 Accurate
5 2.49 Accurate
Mean 2.48 Accurate
Standard Deviation 0.04

As seen in the table, the sent messages of the device were received by the
second party in under five seconds consistently. The delivery time could depend
on many factors like the processing time of the application, location of both the
sender and the end user and their distance from each other, and the network
provider services. The end user is expected to receive the text message in 1-3
seconds excluding the circumstance (Cliffton, 2016). This became the basis in the
study to identify whether the response of the device through SMS is fast where it
would be therefore considered as accurate. The mean obtained was 2.48 and was
interpreted to be accurate by the researchers. While the Standard deviation resulted
to 0.04, this denotes that the values were closer to each other and also it indicates
the consistency of the response time throughout the test. It has been concluded that

~ 37 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

the responders can act quickly after the user has come to harm with a hazard due
to the finding that fit under the expected time span.

3. Acceptance Level

To assess the acceptability of the device, a survey was conducted by giving

questionnaires to those who fully experienced the device of the study. The
following range were used to interpret the data:

0-1: Strongly Disagree

1.1-2: Disagree

2.1-3: Agree

3.1-4: Strongly Agree

The succeeding table tells the summary of the administered survey based on
appearance and user-friendliness of the system.

Table 3.1:Appearance Assessment

Statements Weighted Interpretation

Mean
1. The device is compact and its size is 2.97 Agree
portable.
2. The design of the device is attractive. 3.2 Strongly
Agree
3. The device’s system components and 3.83 Strongly
modules are assembled properly. Agree
4. The device’s design complements its 2.9 Agree
function.
5. The structure of the system is durable 3.73 Strongly

~ 38 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

and robust. Agree

General Weighted Mean 3.33 Strongly
Agree

As seen in the table, all of the items attained a weighted mean that
correlates to a positive interpretation with statements 2,3, and 5 having Strongly
Agree and with the rest having Agree. In statement 5, “the structure of the system
is durable and robust”, it got the highest weighted mean of 3.73 which put it on the
first rank. While on 4, “the device’s design complements its function”, it got the
lowest value of 2.9; however, it was still interpreted as Agree. Altogether, the
general weighted mean was 3. 33 resulting to Strongly Agree. The consensus for
this table signifies that the appearance of the device is acceptable.

~ 39 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Table 3.2: User-Friendliness Assessment

Statements Mean Interpretation

User-Friendliness
1. The device is equipped with sensors 3.76 Strongly
and parts which helps in detecting Agree
obstacles
2. The device is easy to operate. 2.67 Agree
3. Device’s feature is appropriate to its 3.43 Strongly
target goal. Agree
4. The device can be operated by 2.87 Agree
beginners with little supervisions of
experts.
General Weighted Mean 3.18 Strongly
Agree

It can be observed on the table shown that most statements got a mean
which has a matching interpretation of agree and strongly agree. Among all the
statements, the first one “the device is equipped with sensors and parts which
helps in detecting obstacles”, got the highest weighted mean which is 3.76 that
was interpreted as strongly agree. While the statement that garnered the least value
is “the device is easy to operate” with 2.67 weighted mean, yet, it was interpreted
as agree. The general weighted mean for the user-friendliness of the device was
3.18 and considered to be strongly agree. Generally, based on the findings, it has
been concluded that the device in terms of user friendliness is acceptable.

~ 40 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Chapter V

Summary, Conclusions, Recommendations and Appendices

In this chapter, the summary of the findings in the study is stated. The
conclusions were drawn based on the data gathered from the tests that the
researchers conducted. Also, with great consideration of the outcome, the
recommendations were suggested by the researchers to improve future related
studies.

Summary:

This study aimed to help the persons with disabilities (PWDs) by detecting
the obstacles in their surroundings for them to freely travel inside and outside
without worries.

Specifically, this study aimed to assess the answers in the following

questions:

1. What is the level of system accuracy of the obstacle sensor in terms of

a. Obstacle Detection

b. SMS Notification

2. What are the perception of the respondents in terms of:

a. Appearance

b. User-friendliness

The researchers applied One-way Analysis of Variance as the statistical

tool to gather the data needed for the study.

~ 41 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Findings

The following findings were gathered upon testing the robot in this study.

1. The ultrasonic sensor is capable of detecting obstacles from 90 cm to 170 cm

only when it is facing 90˚ angles.

2. The notification speed of transmitting information to recipient were perceived

as fast when sending it to the user.

3. In terms of appearance and user-friendliness of the robot, the former scored a

general weight mean of 3.33, while the latter attained a mean of 3.18. On both
assessments, the computed general weighted mean were interpreted to be strongly
agree meaning it is accepted by the pilot users.

Conclusions

Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusion were drawn:

1. The user may be at ease for not only near obstacles can be detected but also
those who are far from the wearer.

2. The ability for the notification to be quick may slightly guarantee its user on
their safe locomotion.

3. These scores would mean that the robot itself did a great job in doing its task for
it made the user satisfactory while they were experiencing it.

Recommendations

Based on the findings, the following were recommended:

1. The researchers should find a way to detect upcoming obstructions even farther
than what they have.

2. The design and layout of the device must be considerably improved as it was
particularly not fond of by its users.

~ 42 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

3. The maximum height of detected obstacles from the ground where the user is
standing must also be identified through further tests and research.

4. The Obstacle Detector ID should have a sound indication along with vibration
to inform the user about the obstacles that he may encounter on his path. This is to
ensure that the PWD would be surely notified given that the device could be
unstable at times due to different movements.

5. The innovated device must be able to determine what kind of obstacle it

detected along with basic instructions that will greatly help the person to overcome
it. It could be attained through more complex programming and therefore it
requires further knowledge and understanding in the field of Robotics.

~ 43 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

References

Leonard .2017. Medical News Today: Mobility Aids: Types, Benefits and Use
Crews JE, et. al. 2018. Falls Among Persons Aged ≥65 Years With and Without
Severe Vision Impairment – United States. 1st ed. United States of
America. Huang, Hsieh, and Yeh. 2015. An Indoor Obstacle Detection System
Using Depth Information and Region Growth. Volume 15. Taipei City, Taiwan.

J. Bułat and A. Głowacz. 2016. Vision-based navigation assistance for visually

impaired individuals using general purpose mobile devices, 2016
International Conference on Signals and Electronic Systems (ICSES).
Krakow, Poland.

Labayrade, Aubert, and Tarel. 2002. Real time obstacle detection in stereovision
on non-flat road geometry through "v-disparity" representation, Intelligent
Vehicle Symposium. Volume 2. Versailles, France.

Ms. S.B. Burrewar, Mr. S.P. Joshi, Mr. A.P. Shingade, Mr. A.N. Shire, 2017,
"Obstacle Avoidance Robot: A Review,�" vol. 4, no. 3, India

Brose S., Cooper R., Grindle G., Salatin B., Vazquez J., Wang H., Weber D.,
2010, "The Role of Assistive Robotics in the Lives of Persons with Disability,"
vol. 89, no. 6, Pittsburgh, Pensylvannia

Mustapha. 2016. Automated Obstacle Detection System for Safe Locomotion.

Melbourne, Australia.

Mustapha, et al. 2013. Ultrasonic and Infrared Sensors Performance in a Wireless

Obstacle Detection System.

Nowshin, et al. 2017. An Intelligent Walking Stick for the Visually-Impaired

People. Volume 15, No. 12.

~ 44 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Oniga and Nedevshi. 2009. Processing Dense Stereo Data Using Elevation Maps:
Road Surface, Traffic Isle, and Obstacle Detection, IEEE Transactions on
Vehicular Technology. Volume 59, No. 3. Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Dr. Ferdosi�, S. Lopa, F. Tabassum, and M. Masud Tarek, 2017, "Obstacle

Avoiding Robot�," vol. 17, no. 1, East West University

Patankar and Ashish. 2016. Wearable system for obstacle detection and human
assistance using ultrasonic sensor array. Texas.

Rodriguez, et al. 2012. Assisting the Visually Impaired: Obstacle Detection and
Warning System by Acoustic Feedback, New Trends towards Automatic
Vehicle Control and Perception Systems. Volume 12, No. 12.

V. Golla, S. Hebbar, R. Madli, and P. Pattar, 2015, "Automatic Detection and

Notification of Potholes and Humps on Roads to Aid Drivers," vol. 15, no.
8, India

WHO. 2018. Disabled World, Vision Disability: Types, News and Information.

Cliffton. 2016. How Long Does it Take to Deliver a Text Message When We are
Sending via Bulk SMS Gateway with HTTP API?

~ 45 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Appendices

A. Set-up

Month Prototype Obstacle Detector Robot

April
May  Collection of Materials
June  Obstacle Detector Robot Building
July  Programming of the Robot
 Programming of the Robot
August  Obstacle Detector Robot Capacity Testing
 Data Gathering
September  Analysis of Data
B.
Gantt Chart

2019
Activity Apri May Jun Jul August September
l e y
Collection of Materials
Building of Obstacle Detector Robot

Programming

Capacity Testing

Collection of Data

Analysis of Data

C.

~ 46 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

C. Student Registration Form

Student’s Registration Form

Name:
Birthday:
Name of Guardian:
Guardian’s Contact Number:
Network:
Name of Adviser:
Adviser’s Contact Number:
Network:

~ 47 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

C. Survey Questionnaire

Part C.1 Appearance Assessment

1.) How do you rate the structure of the robot and its design overall?

Obstacle Detector and Strongly Strongly

Disagree Agree
Navigation Assistant ID Disagree Agree
(2) (3)
has: (1) (4)
1.) The robot is compact
and its size is portable.
2.) The design of the
robot is attractive
3.) The robot’s system
components and
modules are
assembled properly
4.) The robot’s design
complements its
function
5.) The structure of the
system is durable and
robust.

~ 48 ~
 Tanauan City Integrated High School
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Program
“Excellence is our Culture”

Part C.2 User-friendliness Assessment

2.) How do you rate your experience while using the system?

Strongly Strongly
Obstacle Detector and Navigation Disagre Agree
Disagree Agree
Assistant ID has: e (2) (3)
(1) (4)
1.) The robot is equipped with
sensors which helps in
monitoring and surveillance.
2.) Remote control system is
provided which is used for
controlling the robot.
3.) The robot is easy to operate.
4.) Robot’s feature is appropriate
to its target goal.

D. Price of Components
Unit Price Total
Name Quantity
(in Php) (in Php)
Ultrasonic Sensor 2 125 250
Arduino Nano 1 275 275
SIM800L GSM
1 1,000 1,000
Module
Neo-6M GPS
1 750 750
Module
Male to female
1 set 120 120
wires
TOTAL - - 2,395

~ 49 ~