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

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.12122 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.12122/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 26 Mar 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [Blind Users Accessing Their Training Images in Teachable Object Recognizers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.07968/) (2022)
- [Panoptic Lintention Network: Towards Efficient Navigational Perception for the Visually Impaired](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.04128/) (2021)
- [Understanding How Blind Users Handle Object Recognition Errors: Strategies and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.03303/) (2024)
- [ShelfAware: Real-Time Semantic Localization in Quasi-Static Environments with Low-Cost Sensors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.09065/) (2025)
- [AccessShare: Co-designing Data Access and Sharing with Blind People](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.19351/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

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. We explore this tension from both perspectives, those of sighted passersby and blind users, taking into account camera visibility, in-person versus remote experience, and extracted visual information. We conduct two studies: an online survey with MTurkers (N=206) and an in-person experience study between pairs of blind (N=10) and sighted (N=40) participants, where blind participants wear a working prototype for pedestrian detection and pass by sighted participants. Our results suggest that both of the perspectives of users and bystanders and the several factors mentioned above need to be carefully considered to mitigate potential social tensions.