All Aboard App Assists Blind and Visually Impaired Find Bus Stops
Author: Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary – Contact: masseyeandear.org
Published: 2024/01/30
Peer-Reviewed: N/A – Publication Type: Instructive / Helpful
Table of Contents: Summary – Main Article
Synopsis: Micro-navigation smartphone app provides assistance to those who are blind or visually impaired (BVI) in finding bus stops. The app is powered by artificial intelligence (AI), using a deep learning neural network trained on about 10,000 images of bus stops collected in a given city or region.
Main Digest
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 found the success rate of the app was substantially higher than that of Google Maps.
GPS Systems
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 [...]