WAY-FINDING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM FOR UNDERGROUND FACILITIES USING AUGMENTED REALITY

Abstract. Way-finding is one of main challenges for pedestrians in large subterranean spaces with complex network of connected labyrinths. This problem is caused by the loss of their sense of directions and orientation due to the lack of landmarks that are occluded by ceilings, walls, and skyscraper. This paper introduces an assistance system for way-finding problem in large subterranean spaces using Augmented Reality (AR). It suggests displaying known landmarks that are invisible in indoor environments on tablet/handheld devices to assist users with relative positioning and indoor way-finding. The location and orientation of the users can be estimated by the indoor positioning systems and sensors available in the common tablet or smartphones devices. The constructed 3D model of a chosen landmark that is in the field of view of the handheld’s camera is augmented on the camera’s video feed. A prototype system has been implemented to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed system for way-finding.