visionimpaired
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Google Maps is getting more detailed spoken walking directions
Google is rolling out a Maps update that adds more in-depth spoken walking directions, with the aim of helping vision-impaired people navigate with more ease. The detailed voice guidance feature will inform users when to turn and tell them when they're approaching a large intersection, so they can exercise more caution when crossing. If users accidentally move away from their route, the voice will let them know Maps is re-routing them.
Toyota's wearable for the blind sees the world through cameras
Scientists are slowly making headway in the treatment of visual impairments, but in the meantime, technology promises to help the blind and partially sighted gain greater independence. Joining the ranks of Microsoft and many others, Toyota has revealed that it, too, is working on a device to give blind folks a better understanding of the world around them. As part of Toyota's "Project BLAID," the company is developing a shoulder-worn wearable with cameras that can detect stairs, doors, restroom signs and other common features of indoor spaces.
Wayfindr gets Google grant to solve navigation for the blind
Wayfindr, the vision-impaired navigation solution originally conceived by multidisciplinary design studio Ustwo, is a step closer to becoming reality. After a pair of small-scale trials, the audio-based system is headed to London's busy Euston station, which averages around 3.4 million visits per month. The pilot scheme uses Bluetooth beacons paired with regular smartphones to guide visually-impaired travellers around Euston's complex web of interconnecting tunnels. But as exciting as the trial is for those involved, it's a tiny fraction of what Wayfindr wants to achieve.
