[access-uk] Re: Fujitsu phones to guide the blind through homes . Reg Hardware
- From: "Vince Thacker" <vince@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2012 23:20:09 +0100
Fujitsu phones to guide the blind through homes . Reg HardwareAren't goods
being marked up increasingly with RFID tags? I don't see why there shouldn't be
an app for that, eventually. It would be a great idea if it happens.
Vince.
----- Original Message -----
From: frances holman
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2012 9:17 PM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Fujitsu phones to guide the blind through homes .
Reg Hardware
I think that is as unlikely as the tooth fairy.
Fran
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Barry Hill
Sent: 03 July 2012 15:12
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Fujitsu phones to guide the blind through homes .
Reg Hardware
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_directions/
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.
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 in Pacifico Yokohama, Japan, from 6-7 July. ®
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