COOL BLIND TECH

YOUR SOURCE FOR THE BEST ASSISTIVE TECH NEWS, REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS FROM TOP BLIND AND LOW VISION EXPERTS. AN ENTERTAINING AND TRUSTWORTHY DISCUSSION ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Travelers

Prototype Robotic Guide Dog Supports Blind and Visually Impaired Travelers

A student at Loughborough University has designed a ‘robotic guide dog’ that could help support blind and visually impaired people.

Designed by Anthony Camu, the product replicates the role of a guide dog as well as programming quick and safe routes to destinations using real-time data. Camu, who is a final year Industrial Design and Technology student, said he was inspired by virtual-reality (VR) gaming consoles to create the prototype, named ‘Theia’ after the titan goddess of sight.

Theia is a portable and concealable handheld device that guides users through outdoor environments and large indoor spaces with very little input. Using a special control moment gyroscope (CMG), the device moves users’ hands and physically ‘leads’ them, similar to holding the brace of a guide dog. read more

Smart Suitcase Could Help Blind and Visually Impaired Travelers

A group of Japanese companies is developing a suitcase-shaped robot that uses AI to help blind and visually impaired people to travel independently.

The small navigation robot will scan the user’s location and map data to identify the best route to their destination. It will then guide them there through voice and haptic technology that transmits vibrations transmitted through the suitcase handle.

While they travel, the suitcase will analyze data from video cameras and distance sensors to identify and avoid any obstacles that emerge in their path, and assess whether the behavior of people nearby requires the user to take actions such as joining lines. read more

AI Technology Assists Blind and Visually Impaired travelers Navigate Canadian Airport

Travelers who are blind or have low vision now have access to Aira, an assistive technology when they visit Winnipeg Richardson International Airport.

Through a mobile app or smart glasses, Aira connects users to Aira agents. Those agents are able to view a user’s environment through mobile phone cameras and describe objects, read signage, provide navigation, take and label photos and more.

In a news release, the Winnipeg Airport Authority said Richardson International is only the second airport in Canada to offer the technology. read more

Aira Joins Microsoft and Moovit to Make Public Transport More Accessible for Blind and Visually Impaired Travelers

Aira has announced a partnership with Microsoft and Moovit to help blind and low-vision users access public transport more easily.

The announcement comes as technology companies across the spectrum increasingly invest resources to make their products more accessible.

Founded in 2015, Aira serves up a range of services and tools to help those with visual impairments gain greater independence when they leave their home. Through its mobile app, available for Android and iOS, Aira offers human agents who can read road signs or menus by leveraging the user’s smartphone camera. The company also offers dedicated smart glasses with a 120-degree field of vision, which makes it easier for the remote agents to see what the user is seeing in real time. read more

Stay on Route App Helps Make Rail Travel More Accessible for Blind and Visually Impaired Travelers

James Grice, a second-year University of Kent (Britain) Business School BSc (Bachelor of Science) Management student, has launched a new iPhone app designed to help make rail travel more accessible for blind and visually impaired travelers by alerting them when their train is nearing a station stop, ensuring that they don’t miss it.

Grice’s “Stay on Route” app lets users pre-program the app with their destination station and set an alert, such as an alarm or a vibration, for when the station is a set distance away. Grice says that the app, though developed for improving accessibility, “Could also be used by all types of travelers worried they may miss their stop if reading, resting or otherwise distracted.” read more

The NaviLens System is Helping Blind Travelers Find Their Way Around Town

The NaviLens system has been spreading across Barcelona’s transit system during the last few months with pixelated stickers. Each is a 5×5 stack of brightly colored squares on a black card.

Across the city’s network of buses, trains, and trams traveling up the steep hillside of Montjuïc, the tags are stuck near exits, platforms, escalators, ticket booths, intercoms, and passageways.

This is a program by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), the public transport service, to make the city easier to access and navigate for its thousands of visually impaired citizens. read more

Orientation System Adds Accessibility for Blind and Visually Impaired Travelers On Cruise Ships

An innovative solution for accessibility and orientation developed by RightHear, will make cruises completely accessible to blind and visually impaired passengers.

The solution is based on lessons learned in successful implementation of RightHear’s technology in hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues. The system will allow blind and visually impaired passengers to orient themselves independently across cruise ships.

“Today, on some cruise ships blind travelers can use braille signs, but they cannot walk independently around the ship like seeing people,” said Idan Meir, RightHear’s CEO. “The RightHear system provides accurate voice guidance to the blind and visually impaired, including a detailed description of the immediate environment in which they are located, voice guidance about where they are headed, and a description of obstacles to be avoided.” read more

Apple Developing Device and Wearable to Help Deaf and Blind Travelers

Apple is developing technology that would combine a cylindrical device and possibly smart clothing to provide blind and deaf people tactile or auditory signals to navigate their environments.

According to a patent application filed by Apple, the device would map the environment with sensor data and provide feedback. For the blind, the device could sync with an iPhone to provide spoken feedback to the user. For the deaf, vibrating signals could be delivered to a wearable, such as a shirt or the Apple Watch. read more

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