sounds interesting, would be good if we could download and try it out.
On 30 Jan 2024, at 11:45, Tony Sweeney <tonymsweeney@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:===========================================================
New app effectively aids blind and visually impaired commuters in finding bus
stops
"All_Aboard" app effectively aids blind and visually impaired commuters in
finding bus stops
Ryan Jaslow
A team of researchers from Mass Eye and Ear have developed a micro-navigation
smartphone app to provide assistance to those who are blind or visually
impaired (BVI) in finding their bus stops, and a new study published in
Translational Vision Science & Technology found the success rate of the app
was substantially higher than that of Google Maps.
Current GPS systems have sufficient macro-navigation for planning routes
using public transportation. However, micro-navigation, such as finding the
exact locations of bus stops and destinations, remains an issue for people
who are BVI, as GPS-based localization for this is less accurate. To combat
this problem, the researchers developed a mobile app called All_Aboard, which
is meant to be used in conjunction with mainstream GPS systems and focuses on
improving micro-navigation.
When a GPS indicates that a BVI user is nearing their destination, that is
when All_Aboard should be opened. The app uses the phones' camera to detect
street signs from 30 to 50 feet away. It then uses auditory cues to direct
the user towards their destination, with the frequency of the sounds changing
as they approach the endpoint.
The app is powered by artificial intelligence, using a deep learning neural
network trained on about 10,000 images of bus stops collected in a given city
or region. The app is currently capable of recognizing bus stops in 10 major
cities/regions around the world.
In the study, 24 BVI individuals used All_Aboard along with Google Maps to
navigate a set route with 10 bus stops at an urban (Boston) and suburban site
(Newton, Mass.). The results of the study were measured in terms of
localization error and rate of successful localization.
Localization error, or gap distance, is defined as the distance between the
desired destination and maps marked end point. The rate of successful
localization is the probability of getting close enough to the bus stops. The
researchers found that in both urban and suburban locations, All_Aboard had a
success rate of 93%, whereas Google Maps had a 52% success rate.
Additionally, the average gap distance with Google Maps was 6.62 meters and
1.54 meters with All_Aboard.
GPS accuracy is supposed to be acceptable in suburban areas, according to
Luo, who added it was not initially expected that the performance with Google
Maps in Newton, Mass. would be so low. Previous research from Luo and his
team found this problem may be due to widespread errors in bus stop location
mapping data in Google Maps.
"Our findings suggest that the All_Aboard app could help travelers with
visual impairments in navigation by accurately detecting the bus stop, and
therefore greatly reducing their chance of missing buses due to standing too
far from the bus stops," said Gang Luo, Ph.D., of the Schepens Eye Research
Institute of Mass Eye and Ear. "This study indicates that computer
vision-based object recognition capabilities can be used in a complementary
way and provide added benefit to purely mapping-based, macro-navigation
services in real-world settings."
More information: Shrinivas Pundlik et al, Field Evaluation of a Mobile App
for Assisting Blind and Visually Impaired Travelers to Find Bus Stops,
Translational Vision Science & Technology (2024). DOI: 10.1167/tvst.13.1.11
https://techxplore.com/news/2024-01-app-effectively-aids-visually-impaired.html
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