Intelligent environments and assistive technologies for assisting visually impaired people: a systematic literature review

Intelligent environments (IE) refer to physical spaces imbued with pervasive and seamless intelligence, created to proactively support individuals in their daily routines. Developments in technologies such as the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) have taken these environments from theoretical notions to practical realities. Simultaneously, the field of ambient assisted living (AAL) has made significant strides. Evolving from AT, AAL represents an application of IE that specifically seeks to enable individuals-especially those with disabilities or the elderly-to lead healthier, more independent, and dignified lives through the assistance of technology integrated within their living environments. The confluence of IE and AAL has led to the rise of innovative solutions aimed at enhancing the lives of individuals with special needs, such as the visually impaired people (VIP). This research presents a systematic literature review investigating the utilization of IE, underpinned by AAL principles, in supporting VIPs. Initially, a pool of 14,760 studies was obtained from 9 databases, all published up to December 2022. After applying specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, this pool was reduced to 101 articles. Each of these articles was reviewed, analyzed, and categorized into four functional and operating principle categories to address five research questions. The study proposes multiple taxonomies as an approach to holistically synthesize the various technologies and devices categorized in the reviewed articles. Emerging research challenges and trends in this domain are highlighted, with a substantial trend being the escalating use of deep learning (DL) techniques. These techniques have been pivotal in the development of systems focused on object detection, path recognition, and navigation for devices, particularly smartphones, geared towards enhancing the lives of VIPs.