In recent decades, several assistive technologies have been developed to improve the ability of blind and visually impaired individuals to navigate independently and safely. At the same time, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) techniques have become sufficiently robust and efficient to be adopted in developing these assistive technologies. We present the first systematic literature review of 54 recent studies on SLAM-based solutions for blind and visually impaired people, focusing on literature published from 2017 onward. This review explores various localization and mapping techniques employed in this context. We systematically identified and categorized diverse SLAM approaches and analyzed their localization and mapping techniques, sensor types, computing resources, and machine-learning methods. We discuss the advantages and limitations of these techniques for blind and visually impaired navigation. Moreover, we examine the major challenges described across studies, including practical considerations that affect usability and adoption. Our analysis also evaluates the effectiveness of these SLAM-based solutions in real-world scenarios and user satisfaction, providing insights into their practical impact on BVI mobility. The insights derived from this review identify critical gaps and opportunities for future research activities, particularly in addressing the challenges presented by dynamic and complex environments. We explain how SLAM technology offers the potential to improve the ability of visually impaired individuals to navigate effectively. Finally, we present future opportunities and challenges in this domain.

翻译：近几十年来，已开发出多种辅助技术以提升盲人及视障人士独立安全出行的能力。与此同时，同步定位与建图（SLAM）技术已发展得足够稳健高效，能够应用于这些辅助技术的开发中。本文首次对54项基于SLAM的视障人士解决方案的最新研究进行了系统性文献综述，重点关注2017年以来发表的文献。本综述探讨了该领域中采用的各种定位与建图技术。我们系统性地识别并分类了不同的SLAM方法，分析了其定位与建图技术、传感器类型、计算资源及机器学习方法。我们讨论了这些技术在视障导航中的优势与局限。此外，我们审视了各研究中描述的主要挑战，包括影响可用性与采纳度的实际考量。我们的分析还评估了这些基于SLAM的解决方案在真实场景中的有效性及用户满意度，从而揭示其对BVI群体出行能力的实际影响。本综述所获见解指出了未来研究活动的关键空白与机遇，尤其是在应对动态复杂环境带来的挑战方面。我们阐释了SLAM技术如何具备提升视障人士有效导航能力的潜力。最后，我们提出了该领域未来的机遇与挑战。