Hi Eleanor,
perhaps someone else could assist you with this but I only post such
articles if I feel that they'd be of interest to the list and rarely if
ever know any more of what I post.
Not sure if the app is available here but perhaps worth a look on the
Apple or Google Play store etc.
Tony
On 30/01/2024 14:09, Eleanor Martha Burke wrote:
sounds interesting, would be good if we could download and try it out.=========================================================== The fb-exchange mailing list Manage account, List Page: https://www.freelists.org/list/fb-exchange
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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