Surpassing the State of the Art

Assistive Technology has made great strides in recent years. Maps for the visually impaired has been a research subject for more than ten years; however, there is a huge gap between the exciting research being done and deliverables.

Need
*  More than eight million Americans over the age of fifteen have difficulty seeing (http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/12/where-are-the-games-for-disabled-players.html)
* working age adults with significant vision loss: ~37% were employed in 2011
* Navigation of new spaces is a serious limit on independence


Research
* Awesome video games for the blind:
* 3D audio tech
* Audio maps (large-scale)
* Covers city-scale and interior
* chips in floor tiles and on walls (impractical)
* Increasing amount of public 3D models of real-world places: http://www.3d-berlin.com/

Products / Deliverables
* Expensive GPS equipment (GPS canes)
* Mobile audio map apps (coarse, less accurate)
* Covers city-scale only

While mobile audio maps provide a great service for street-level navigation, the accuracy limits of GPS limit its usefulness--and these apps provide no help in navigating interiors. Studies have produced audio maps/games which are proven to help blind users navigate. However, these projects are limited to the studies themselves--only one individual building. The purpose of this project is to move towards providing audio maps of public and privately owned institutions. Visually impaired users could use these maps to explore buildings and cities, memorizing layouts and routes, and making navigation in these spaces easier and increasing independence.