[access-uk] Re: Fujitsu phones to guide the blind through homes . Reg Hardware

  • From: "Barry Hill" <barry.hill3@xxxxxxx>
  • To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2012 15:12:18 +0100

I agree that it seems like huge overkill for the home as that's where we
know best.  However, it sounds like it would be useful in public buildings
and great for supermarkets when it's developed more.  Imagine being told
where to go to find the bread aisle or fish counter.  Thinking on my feet,
there could be physical markers on the shelves, and perhaps radio tags.  The
guidance gadget could get you close and tell you that the tin of Heinze
beans is on the third shelf on the left, then you'd switch to the radio tag
detector and run your mobile over the shelves until you got to Heinze beans.
 
Ok, it's either going to be a long way off, or it just won't happen, but
it's an idea.
 
 
Cheers
 
Barry
 

  _____  

From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Gordon Keen
Sent: 03 July 2012 2:38 PM
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Fujitsu phones to guide the blind through homes . Reg
Hardware


Hmmm, might be useful for exhibitions or public buildings but it seems a tad
patronising to think it would be useful in the home - or is that just me!

http://www.reghardware.com/2012/07/02/fujitsu_helps_blind_with_smartphone_di
rections/



Fujitsu phones to guide the blind through homes


Fujitsu has helped develop an indoor support system that utilises impulse
radio ultrawideband (UWB) tech to guide blind and partially sighted people
around their homes.

The system - co-created with Japan's National Institute of Information and
Communications Technology - gives audio instructions on distances and
directions to a destination. It does this with pulses sent out in the
7.25-10.25GHz band to determine the user's distance from base-stations
positioned throughout the room.

 Fujitsu helps the blind through homes
<http://regmedia.co.uk/2012/07/02/fujitsu_blind_1.jpg> 

A host computer calculates the person's position from the distance supplied
by each base-stations. That information is relayed by Bluetooth to the
user's mobile device, handed over to a mapping application developed for
Android that guides the holder to their destination with spoken
instructions.

With a margin of error of less than 0.3m, UWB tech is said to be far more
accurate than GPS systems - and can work in a room into which satellite
signals can't penetrate.

The system is in its early days, working only to guide the user around a
large open space. But NICT and Fujitsu plan to push the technology further
with sensors that can detect obstacles in the user's path.

The current implementation also requires users select their destination by
tapping the handset's screen - clearly, not an ideal approach for the truly
visually impaired.

In addition to helping blind folk get about, NICT and Fujitsu also reckon
there's a role for the technology in guiding sighted people to the nearest
exit in case of emergency.

In the meantime, the firms will be demonstrating the tech at the Wireless
Technology Park 2012 <http://wt-park.com/eng/>  in Pacifico Yokohama, Japan,
from 6-7 July. R


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