[Njtechdiv] a new app that serves as eyes for the blind

[Mario]

"The goal is as audacious as it is inspiring: coming up with a 
technological platform that can help the visually impaired navigate the 
world around them as effortlessly as everyone else.

The first pilot in the program is a smartphone app for iOS and Android
called NavCog, which helps blind people navigate their surroundings by 
whispering into their ears through earbuds or by creating subtle 
vibrations on their smartphones. (Users have the option of either 
setting the app to “voice mode” or “vibration mode.”)
Similar to the turn-by-turn directions offered by car GPS systems, the 
app offers its own version of turn-by-turn directions for the visually 
impaired.
The app analyzes signals from Bluetooth beacons located along walkways 
and from smartphone sensors to help enable users to move without human 
assistance,
whether inside campus buildings or outdoors.
The magic happens when algorithms are able to help the blind identify in 
near real-time where they are, which direction they are facing and 
additional surrounding environmental information. The computer vision 
navigation application tool turns smartphone images of the surrounding 
environment into a 3-D space model that can be used to issue 
turn-by-turn navigation guidance..."

For more details, just visit this site:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2015/10/22/the-new-app-that-serves-as-eyes-for-the-blind/