A simple approach to stereo matching and its application in developing a travel aid for the blind

In this paper, we present an idea of using stereo matching to develop a travel aid for the blind. In this approach, images are segmented into several non-overlapping homogeneous regions using a color segmentation algorithm. For each homogeneous region, a rectangular window, which is large enough to cover the region, is found. A local match with the found rectangular window size is then executed to find the disparity for the considered region. A clustering algorithm is adopted to cluster the disparities into several major different values. Finally, a piece-wise disparity map is constructed. Based on the disparity map, information about the unfamiliar environments in front of the blind will be output to them. With the information about the environment the blind will have less fear in walking through unfamiliar environments via white canes.