THE GLIDER (FV): FIRST VISION A Privacy-First Spatial Intelligence System for Assistive Navigation

Abstract This paper introduces THE GLIDER (FV) — First Vision, a privacy-first assistive sensing system designed to enable blind and visually impaired individuals to navigate physical environments with increased safety, autonomy, and social integration. The system conceptualizes the environment as a continuously evolving spatial field and constructs a real-time perceptual representation that guides user movement through intuitive, non-visual feedback. Unlike conventional assistive technologies that rely on static heuristics or centralized data access, THE GLIDER (FV) operates under a zero-trust architecture, where personal data remains encrypted and inaccessible to external actors. The system is designed to resist surveillance, coercive access, and reverse engineering while maintaining high responsiveness and robustness in dynamic environments. This document outlines the mission, ethical foundation, system architecture, and validation philosophy of THE GLIDER (FV), positioning it as a new class of privacy-preserving spatial intelligence systems.