March 20, 2007
GPS navigation plan to help blind
An Italian technology company is pioneering a GPS satellite system that will give blind people greater independence and mobility. The BBC reports.
"The Easy Walk service, developed by Il Village, is currently being tested by a group of 30 people from the Italian Blind Union who are providing feedback. The plan is for Easy Walk to be launched to blind and partially sighted people in Piedmont in the autumn.
... It requires just two dedicated keys on the mobile phone - one which, when pressed, tells the user their exact location including the house or building number and the other one alerts the call centre that the person needs assistance with navigation.
An operator will then call the blind person, find out where it is they need to go and stay on the line with them providing step by step instructions."
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