Washington: Scientists have developed a smart suitcase that warns blind users of impending collisions and a smartphone app that can help people with visual disabilities to navigate airport terminals safely and independently.
Developed by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the US and IBM, the navigation app called NavCog provides turn-by-turn audio instructions to users on how to reach a departure gate — or a restroom or a restaurant.
The rolling suitcase, called BBeep, sounds alarms when users are headed for a collision with a pedestrian, researchers said.
Both proved effective
in a pair of user studies conducted at Pittsburgh International Airport in the US, they said.
"Despite recent efforts to improve accessibility, airport terminals remain challenging for people with visual impairments to navigate independently," said Chieko Asakawa, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and an IBM Fellow at IBM Research.
Airport and airline personnel are available to help them get to departure gates, but they usually can't explore and use the terminal amenities as sighted people can.
An increasing number of airports have been installing Bluetooth beacons, which can be used for indoor navigation.
However, they are often deployed to enhance services for sighted travellers, not to help blind people, said Kris Kitani, assistant research professor at CMU.
The NavCog app employs Bluetooth beacons.
The app developed to help blind people navigate independently, previously has been deployed on campuses and in shopping malls, researchers said.
They modified it for use at the airport, where extremely wide corridors make users vulnerable to veering, and for use with moving walkways.