NaviLens
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NaviLens is a color box code intended to help blind and visually impaired people find their way around railway and subway stations, museums, libraries, and other public spaces.[1]
The color box code, a tag reminiscent of a simplified QR code, is read by an app on the smartphone, and then provides the necessary information about the tag itself (distance, angle) and about the target to be reached. This could be anything from public transportation schedules to the obstacles they need to know, or physical descriptions of the environment. Users can also download regular tags and customize them to label food boxes or personal documents.[2]
The application uses visual algorithms, which can also interpret the tag at a certain distance, or when the color code is not very sharp.
Navilens was developed by the Laboratorio de Investigación en Visión Móvil[3] at the University of Alicante, in collaboration with the Spanish startup NaviLens.[citation needed]
Navilens is proprietary software; intellectual property and licensing rights follow Spanish law, and are held by NaviLens' parent company Neosistec.[4][5] When using the app, location data and serial number of the smartphone are recorded. Domestic use in the private sphere is permitted and free of charge.[citation needed]
Kellogs has partnered with the company and put codes on several of their products.[6]
Examples
[edit]- Public transport in Barcelona[7]
- New York City subway stations[8]
- Some Belgian railway stations[9]
- VIA Metropolitan Transit[10]
References
[edit]- ^ Morris, Amanda (2021-12-20). "Navigational Apps for the Blind Could Have a Broader Appeal". The New York Times.
- ^ "These colorful stickers are helping blind people find their way around". technologyreview.com. 6 June 2019. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021.
- ^ Alicante, Mobile Vision Research Laboratory University of. "Mobile Vision Research Laboratory". Mobile Vision Research Laboratory. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ "NaviLens Terms". www.navilens.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ "Neosistec. Especialistas en innovación y desarrollo de software" [Neosistec. Specialists in innovation and software development]. www.neosistec.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Curry, Ebony JJ (2023-03-13). "New app helps visually impaired with grocery shopping". ABC 12 WJRT-TV. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Swain, Frank (2019-06-06). "These colorful stickers are helping blind people find their way around". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ amNewYork (2024-10-12). "Ask the MTA | The entrance to Grand Central Madison and expanding the NaviLens pilot program | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ "B-navilens". Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ Reports, SBG San Antonio Staff (2024-02-09). "San Antonio transit introduces NaviLens for visually impaired riders". KABB. Retrieved 2024-10-24.