Android Applications for Blind People to Detect Objects, Read Text from Image, and Track Blind People

Abstract

Visually impaired individuals face significant challenges in identifying surrounding objects, reading printed text, and navigating safely in unfamiliar environments. This project proposes an intelligent Android application designed to assist blind and visually impaired people using advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI), Computer Vision, and GPS-based tracking technologies. The application integrates real-time object detection using deep learning models to identify everyday objects such as vehicles, people, doors, obstacles, and household items through the smartphone camera. It also includes an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) module that extracts and reads text from images, documents, signboards, medicine labels, and currency notes using text-to-speech conversion for audio guidance. In addition, the system provides live location tracking and emergency sharing features that allow caregivers or family members to monitor the user’s location for improved safety and support. Voice commands and audio feedback are incorporated to ensure hands-free accessibility and ease of use. The proposed system aims to improve independence, mobility, and daily life assistance for blind users by combining object recognition, text reading, and smart tracking into a single user-friendly Android application.

Introduction

The text presents an Android-based assistive application designed to support visually impaired individuals by improving accessibility, independence, and safety through mobile technology.

It identifies key challenges faced by blind users, such as difficulty in identifying objects, reading text, and navigating environments, and highlights limitations in existing solutions that typically focus on only one feature or require expensive hardware, internet connectivity, or have accuracy issues.

The proposed system integrates three main functionalities into a single Android app:

• Object detection using the smartphone camera and AI models to identify surrounding items and provide voice feedback.
• Text recognition (OCR) to convert printed text from images into speech for reading signs, labels, and documents.
• GPS-based tracking and navigation to help users move safely and allow caregivers to monitor their location.

The system processes data in real time using machine learning models on the device and converts outputs into audio using text-to-speech. Testing shows that the application improves independence and safety, though performance depends on lighting, image quality, and GPS signal strength.

Conclusion

The Android application developed for visually impaired people demonstrates that mobile technology can provide practical and effective assistance in everyday life. By combining object detection, text reading from images, and location tracking in a single platform, the system helps users recognize surrounding objects, access printed information, and improve personal safety during movement. The study shows that real-time voice feedback enables blind users to interact with their environment more independently and confidently. The application reduces dependence on others for common daily tasks such as identifying obstacles, reading labels or documents, and sharing location information with caregivers or family members. Although the system performs well under normal conditions, its effectiveness depends on factors such as lighting quality, camera clarity, GPS accuracy, and internet connectivity. Overall, the application achieves its main objective of improving accessibility and mobility for visually impaired users. Future improvements such as offline support, better low-light detection, and more accurate indoor tracking can further enhance its usefulness in real-world situations.

References

[1] Bagrecha, J., Shah, T., Shah, K., Gandhi, T., &Palwe, S. **“VirtualEye: Android Application for the Visually Impaired.”** *Recent Trends in Intensive Computing*, 2026. This work discusses object detection, optical character recognition (OCR), and voice-based assistance for visually impaired users. ([Sage Journals][1]) [2] Shirsath, R. A., Gurav, M. S., Kathed, S., Navale, M. B., &Rathod, R. B. **“Android Application for Visually Impaired People: Secure Navigation Tool.”** *International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering (IJARCCE)*, 2017. The paper covers image reading, text-to-speech, navigation support, and GPS-based tracking. ([IJARCCE][2]) [3] Bhandari, S., Maid, S., Malve, S., Thakkar, H., &Sonawane, N. **“Object and Scene Recognition in an Android Based Mobile Application.”** *International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering (IJARCCE)*, 2015. This study focuses on Android-based object recognition and voice notification for blind users. ([IJARCCE][3]) [4] Ankitha, R., &Sowmyashree, K. M. **“Android Application for Blind People to Detect Objects.”** *International Advanced Research Journal in Science, Engineering and Technology (IARJSET)*, 2024. The paper presents real-time object detection, image-to-text conversion, speech synthesis, and location detection. ([IARJSET][4]) [5] Thanmayee, P., Bhoomika, V., Gargee, J., &Harshitha, B. **“Vision Assist: An Android-based Object Detection and Text Recognition Application for the Visually Impaired.”** *International Advanced Research Journal in Science, Engineering and Technology (IARJSET)*, 2024. The study discusses object detection, text recognition, direction estimation, and audio feedback. ([IARJSET][5]) [6] Tanveer, M. S. R., Hashem, M. M. A., &Hossain, M. K. **“Android Assistant EyeMate for Blind and Blind Tracker.”** *arXiv*, 2016. This research introduces navigation assistance and blind-person tracking using GPS and Android applications. ([arXiv][6]) If you want, I can also format these references in **IEEE**, **APA**, or **project report** style. [1] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3233/APC210204?utm_source=chatgpt.com \"VirtualEye: Android Application for the Visually Impaired, 2026\" [2] https://ijarcce.com/papers/nolink_android-application-for-visually-impaired-people-secure-navigation-tool/?utm_source=chatgpt.com \"Android Application for Visually Impaired People “Secure Navigation Tool” | Peer-reviewed Journal\" [3] https://ijarcce.com/papers/nolink_object-and-scene-recognition-in-an-android-based-mobile-application/?utm_source=chatgpt.com \"Object and Scene Recognition in an Android based Mobile Application | Peer-reviewed Journal\" [4] https://iarjset.com/papers/android-application-for-blind-people-to-detect-objects/?utm_source=chatgpt.com \"ANDROID APPLICATION FOR BLIND PEOPLE TO DETECT OBJECTS - IARJSET\" [5] https://iarjset.com/papers/vision-assist-an-android-based-object-detection-and-text-recognition-application-for-the-visually-impaired/?utm_source=chatgpt.com \"Vision Assist: An Android-based Object Detection and Text Recognition Application for the Visually Impaired - IARJSET\" [6] https://arxiv.org/abs/1609.01409?utm_source=chatgpt.com \"Android Assistant EyeMate for Blind and Blind Tracker\"

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Rajeshwari N, Ananya Y S, Bee Bee Mariyam , Mizba J, Mamatha . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.