Accessing Passersby Proxemic Signals through a Head-Worn Camera: Opportunities and Limitations for the Blind.

The spatial behavior of passersby can be critical to blind individuals to initiate interactions, preserve personal space, or practice social distancing during a pandemic. Among other use cases, wearable cameras employing computer vision can be used to extract proxemic signals of others and thus increase access to the spatial behavior of passersby for blind people. Analyzing data collected in a study with blind (N=10) and sighted (N=40) participants, we explore: (i) visual information on approaching passersby captured by a head-worn camera; (ii) pedestrian detection algorithms for extracting proxemic signals such as passerby presence, relative position, distance, and head pose; and (iii) opportunities and limitations of using wearable cameras for helping blind people access proxemics related to nearby people.

Pedestrian Detection with Wearable Cameras for the Blind: A Two-way Perspective.

Blind people have limited access to information about their surroundings, which is important for ensuring one's safety, managing social interactions, and identifying approaching pedestrians. With advances in computer vision, wearable cameras can provide equitable access to such information. However, the always-on nature of these assistive technologies poses privacy concerns for parties that may get recorded.

A Novel Cellular Imaging Method Using Hemagglutinating Virus of Japan-Envelope (HVJ-E) Vector and Magnetic Particle Imaging.

The purpose of this study was to develop a novel cellular imaging method using the hemagglutinating virus of Japan-envelope (HVJ-E) vector and magnetic particle imaging (MPI). First, we determined the concentration of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) suitable for encapsulation into the HVJ-E vector (HVJ-MNPs). Colon-26 cells were labeled with HVJ-MNPs, MNPs conjugated with protamine (Pro-MNPs) or MNPs alone (Res-MNPs), and their labeling efficiencies were evaluated.