INFRA RED BASED DEVICES FOR GUIDING BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS

A method and device for guiding a blind or visually impaired person are provided herein. The method includes the following stages: emitting one or more Infra Red (IR) light beams (110, 340) into a scene that contains objects (20, 50), each beam (110, 340) is associated with a unique direction and further creates an IR light spot (120) on an object (20, 50) facing the light beam (110, 340); converting one or more direct IR reflections from the one or more spots (120), each associated with a unique direction, into respective electrical signals representative of a distance from the one or more spots respectively; producing, for each IR reflection and based on the respective electrical signals and a respective conversion key, a sensual signal comprising an auditory and/or vibratory signal, representative of the distance from the one or more spots respectively; and presenting a combination of the sensual signals, such that each sensual signal associated with a unique direction is auditorily or tactilely distinguishable.