Design of an autonomous electric vehicle for assistance in the movement of people with visual disabilities using vision algorithms and artificial intelligence

Currently autonomous vehicles are equipped with a variety of sensors, controls and actuators, depending on the objectives and requirements of the vehicle. One of the biggest challenges in the development of the autonomous vehicle system for the assistance in the movement of people with visual disabilities is the high cost. Therefore, researchers with a limited budget carry out their experiments and research in simulation environments, while other researchers use small vehicles that in many cases do not accurately represent a real parametric dynamic system. This article describes the design of a low-cost prototype of an autonomous electric vehicle that includes its control systems, microcontrollers, encoders, motor controllers, sensors and cameras. Therefore, the designed vehicle has the ability to move autonomously through the use of vision and artificial intelligence algorithms to assist in the movement of the visually impaired person. The document details the first steps of the design taking into account the parameters of a real environment and artificial intelligence algorithms.