Using an Android smartphone as a navigation tool for blind people

Here's another of the tech projects I looked at in the National Digital Research Centre last week. It's called Point The Way and it's a smartphone service created to help blind people navigate streets and towns.

The guys behind it are Tim Walsh and John Ryan (pictured).

Using a combination of a smartphone, some sat-nav software and a digital compass, these two Dubliners are constructing a system on an Android smartphone that will 'speak' directions to blind people. The smartphone will also 'buzz' when the person is faced in the right direction, a lapse in many previous systems' operation.

The system is being designed for Android phones (because they have the compass built in) with keyboards. That includes models from HTC, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Samsung.
"The key thing is that you can do this hands free," said Walsh. "Because the compass in on-board, it lets you stick the phone into a shirt pocket. That way, you can feel the buzz when you're pointed in the right direction."

The two lads are tentatively working with the National Council for the Blind in Ireland on it and have also pitched the project to O2.

Comments

[sto credits]

"Using an Android smartphone as a navigation tool for blind people"For the blind, this is a very good project, we should be more such projects to help them.:)

[Mobile phone tracking]

Glad to know that Android cell phone can help the blind, it's a miracle.