GPS System Helps Blind People Mosey Around Town
- March 20th, 2007
- 1 Comment
An Italian company has developed a GPS system that helps blind people easily and safely get around town. Called Easy Walk, the system is comprised of a Symbian cellphone, a Bluetooth GPS receiver and special speech-to-text software. Not surprisingly, the developers at Il Village made Easy Walk simple to use: the user has only two buttons at his disposal, one of which gives the user’s exact location and the other calls a 24/7 center when in need of directions. An operator then tells the user how to get to where they’re goin’, hopefully avoiding quicksand traps and alligator pits along the way.
Easy Walk is undergoing field tests in northern Italy right now, with an autumn release date currently penciled in.
GPS navigation plan to help blind [BBC News]
Image via dpa.org.sg
Shelly (Who am I?)
1 year ago
Interesting, I guess, especially for the integration with a mobile phone. But blind people aren’t looking for On Star sighted guides. GPS systewms are already available that allow completely indpenendent travel. They simply need to be improved, and the price brought down. Hiring operators to guide blind people remotely is neither efficient or desirable.