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App, Beacons Guide Travel on nderground For Vision-Impaired
The new Wayfindr app is designed to pick up Bluetooth beacon signals and then give directions to visually impaired users.
Credit: BBC News
The test trial for a smartphone app that helps the visually impaired use London's public transportation system wraps up this week.
The Royal London Society for Blind People (RLSB) enlisted the services of digital studio ustwo for the project. The team at ustwo used tools such as a digital recorder and a life-logging camera as part of an effort to simulate the experience and challenges of visually-impaired travelers. "We got our hands on some sim specs, which can simulate a variety of eye conditions, and--using a cane--started wearing them around the studio," added a team member on the ustwo site last year. The team then developed the Wayfindr app, which is designed to pick up Bluetooth beacon signals and then give directions to the user.
For the test at the London Underground's Pimlico station, 16 beacons were installed to track smartphones and activate descriptive notes for users wearing bone-conduction earphones. RLSB believes the system can help the visually impaired travel safely and independently.
Researchers note the technology also could be applied to other forms of transport. "These trials will hopefully prove that this sort of technology works in real life situations and will give people more freedom and confidence to travel around" London, says Isabel Dedring, the city's deputy mayor for Transport.
From Phys.Org
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