# Mobile-AI-Based Docent System: Navigation and Localization for Visually Impaired Gallery Visitors
## 1 Introduction  
Visual senses are crucial for perceiving environmental changes and interacting with surroundings, individuals with visual disabilities face significant challenges when engaging in outdoor physical activities [1]. According to the 2023 statistics on disability in Korea, the disabled population stands at 2,652,860 as of 2022, with a registered disability rate of 5.12%. Among them, visually impaired individuals number 251,000, representing 9.5% of the total disabled population. The registered disabled population has seen a 10.9 times increase compared to 1992. However, data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare's surveyon disabled individuals' participation in cultural activities reveals a cultural engagement rate of only 2% ([[https://www.peoplepower21.org/welfarenow/1940360](https://www.peoplepower21.org/welfarenow/1940360)]([https://www.peoplepower21.org/welfarenow/1940360](https://www.peoplepower21.org/welfarenow/1940360)) (accessed on 2 May 2025)). This restriction is especially noticeable when it comes to enjoying art and culture because it is difficult for people with disabilities to obtain visual information. Moreover, accessing art exhibitions can pose greater challenges as they often lack assistive equipment to facilitate smooth navigation for viewers [2; 3]. Prior research addressing the needs of visually impaired individuals has predominantly concentrated on route guidance through assistive technologies, the development of supplementary models facilitating physical engagement with museum artifacts, or the provision of audio-descriptive services via specialized equipment. Notably, modules for localization, algorithmic path planning, continuous path tracking, and real-time obstacle detection constitute essential functional components. These elements represent critical infrastructure in the broader assistive technology ecosystem. However, considering obstacle avoidance during route tracing remains a challenging task due to the complexity, variability, and dynamism of indoor environments [4]. To address these challenges, methods such as the smart stick, electronic travel aids (ETAs), and mobile indoor assistance have been utilized [4]. However, using smart sticks and ETAs requires additional devices and is inconvenient for visually impaired people to carry around in addition to the equipment they already own. The adoption of vision cameras to address safety concerns has become increasingly popular, owing to their capacity to offer detailed information in well-lit environments and their cost-effectiveness in comparison to alternative sensors such as sonar, radar, and lidar [5]. Moreover, these solutions hold promise in detection systems as they can be deployed on devices with limited resources, such as smartphones. Museum guide systems possible to employ various methods for delivering artwork information, with manual entry of exhibit numbers and QR code scanning representing the predominant approaches. These techniques allow visitors to access relevant content by simply inputting the corresponding artwork number or capturing the associated QR code with their device, thereby efficiently retrieving comprehensive exhibit information. However, these conventional methods present significant accessibility barriers for individuals with visual impairments, as those intrinsically rely on the visual cues such as numbers and QR codes. Consequently, alternative approaches that do not depend on visual cues are demanded to deliver equivalent level of informational access to visually impaired visitors. Beacon-based guide systems do not require visual information. These systems use broadcasting packet [6] or proximity [6] or localization method [7; 8] to provide the information. These systems can determine the time when the information is provided to the user. However, these do not consider whether providing the information continues or stops. Situations, where voice guidance that is unnecessary to the user continues, are inconvenient for visually impaired people who need a guide sound.