Advancement in navigation technologies and their potential for the visually impaired: a comprehensive review

Improvements in technology and navigation tools are leading to more affordable and effective solutions to assist individuals with visual impairments. The progress made in navigation technology has the potential to increase inclusivity for the visually impaired in education, social, and workforce settings. After conducting a thorough review of the literature, we have identified key issues and concluded that collaboration among healthcare professionals, caregivers, programmers, engineers, and policymakers is essential for successfully developing navigation projects for the visually impaired. This study highlights different advances and relevant topics in the development of location-based applications for individuals with visual impairments. Our paper involved an extensive search of eight journal databases spanning from 1993 to 2021. We screened 4550 titles, analyzed 560 abstracts, and ultimately reviewed 35 full-text papers, resulting in the examination of 20 papers. Our findings indicate that the advancement of navigation technology can positively affect the quality of life of visually impaired individuals, particularly through assistive technology, mobile applications, and web services. Dot Waker, Nearby Explorer, Get There, and Google Maps are the most commonly used navigation systems by visually impaired individuals. Overall, our research suggests that continued development in navigation-assisted applications can significantly benefit the visually impaired community.