Since the Global Positioning System (GPS) was introduced in the late 1980s, there have been many attempts to integrate it into a navigation-assistance system for blind and visually impaired people.
Software Android RightHear RightHear was first released in December 2015. It uses data from OpenStreetMap alongside their own databases and with this information, RightHear provides their users with multilingual audio-descriptions of the environment, indoors and outdoors.
RightHear main features are as follow: Informing the user about their current location on request and automatically in predefined intervals. Also, providing the user with a link to a relevant online destination (if applicable) like the menu at restaurants and description of exhibits at monuments. Saving user points of interest as recordings. Users can be notified when they approach these points and hear their personal recordings. Automatic announcements of public points of interest, street intersections, and points saved by the user. Supporting third-party public transportation apps like Moovit, Uber, Lyft, Gett, and many more. RightHear users can create their journey from their current location to their destination and can look up schedules and routes to their destination. Simulation of locations, letting users explore distant places before traveling there. Announcing public and user points of interest and intersections located in the direction the user points their device in. RightHear also provides 3D sounds which allow the user to hear the information from the relevant direction when his headphones are on. Announcing the Sky direction that the user is facing by holding the device vertically. Indoor navigation via Bluetooth beacons. RightHear support the open Wayfindr standard. Calling for a local assistant if needed from the relevant person at the RightHear enabled building (like receptions at hotels).
Corsair GPS Corsair is a GPS for pedestrians. It allows you to discover places around you and take you there. A new way of guidance has been developed by using the smartphone's vibration feature to indicate the direction to follow. This solution is particularly useful for people with visual impairments.
Cydalion Cydalion is a navigation aid for people with visual impairments for Tango-enabled devices. Cydalion detects objects (including their height), offers custom sounds, and has a personalized user interface.
Candle Candle is an open-source navigation app hosted on Github using OpenStreetMap, designed for the visually impaired. It features VoicePins for personalized location annotations, an 'Explore Near Me' function for discovering nearby points of interest, comprehensive Google_TalkBack support, and a feedback-enabled compass. The app also includes a feature to set compass directions to specific locations, aiding in navigation.
Lazarillo Lazarillo is based on Google Maps, OpenStreetMap and Foursquare alongside they own databases and with this information, Lazarillo collects the necessary data about the surroundings of the user to support the following features:
Exploration: Can provide you guidance through voice notifications/warnings. It will tell you where you are and what services are around you Specific Searches: By the "search" tab you can obtain search a specific location. Search by categories: Look for places around you, using categories; such as restaurants, health centers and services of transportation. Save favorites: In order to quickly access your favorite spots in the city, click on "save" so they become immediately available. Customize: Modify the voice that will pilot you through the city. Routing or guiding from one point to another: By walking, car, bus or subway, you will get from one point to other by the guidance service. Following the place you want to reach, an alarm will announce if you are getting closer to the spot. This feature also works if the scan mode is paused.
ANGEO ANGEO was a GPS navigation aid developed by the French SME Navocap. The project began in 2008, releasing the Angeo-Mobile kit in 2012; this kit consisted of a peripheral waist attachment and a smartphone app to link it to the GPS system. Their next project, ANGEO2, received EU funding in 2015 for roughly €699,069, releasing in June of 2018.
iOS When Apple introduced the iPhone 3GS in 2009, it was the first ever touch screen device accessible to the blind. iOS device usage has steadily increased among the blind and visually impaired population and numerous GPS apps targeting this user group have been developed since.
Ariadne GPS Ariadne GPS, developed by Luca Giovanni Ciaffoni, was released in June 2011 and was one of the first GPS apps specifically designed for blind and visually impaired users. It is based on Google map data and has the following features: Informing the user about their location on request and in configurable intervals. Letting the user save points that are important to them. The app will alert the user when they approach the point. The users can define the alert distance separately for each point. Accessible map: The user can slide their finger on the screen and the app will announce the area or street address (depending on zoom) under their finger. Ciaffoni has developed his own accessible map for Ariadne GPS. His solution was available before Apple's accessible maps came out in iOS 6. Import and export of points of interest.
BlindSquare BlindSquare is developed by MIPsoft and was first released in May 2012. It uses data from Foursquare and OpenStreetMap and offers a large feature set covering the needs of blind and visually impaired travelers. It is based on Foursquare, OpenStreetMap, and Apple Maps data and supports the following features: Informing the user about their current location on request and automatically in predefined intervals. Saving user points of interest. Users can be notified when they approach these points at a distance of their choice, which can be defined individually for each point. Automatic announcement of public points of interest, street intersections, and points saved by the user. Sending coordinates of destinations to third-party navigation apps. BlindSquare works in conjunction with more than nine third-party navigation apps. Supporting third-party public transportation apps, BlindSquare lets users send the coordinates of their current location and their destination to several apps so they can look up schedules and routes to their destination. Audio menu allowing users to activate many BlindSquare functions by pressing buttons on their headsets instead of using the touch screen of their iOS device. Simulation of places, letting users explore distant places before traveling there. Integrated accessible map. Announcing public and user points of interest and intersections located in the direction the user points their device in. Indoor navigation via Bluetooth beacons. It uses its own system BlindSquare Beacon Positioning System (BPS), but also the open Wayfindr standard.
iMove iMove has been developed by EveryWare Technologies and was first released in January 2013. It is unique, because it lets users record sound clips and associate them with saved locations. iMove offers the following features: Reporting public points of interest as the user walks. Saving user points and alerting the user when these points are approached. Recording of short sound clips, which are linked to saved locations and are played back when approaching the location.
MyWay Classic MyWay Classic was first released in January 2012 and is developed by the Swis Federation of the Blind. It has evolved into an app with a large set of features covering the needs of blind and visually impaired travelers. It uses OpenStreetMap data and includes the following features: Inform users about their current location on request and automatically. Users can record their own points of interest and be alerted when they approach them. Users can record their own routes and be guided by the app when they walk one of the recorded routes. Once the necessary OpenStreetMap data has been downloaded and imported into the app, MyWay can announce street intersections and public points of interest as the user approaches them. Once the necessary OpenStreetMap files have been downloaded and imported into the app, the user can filter the categories of public points of interest to be announced by editing the files or by creating their own files and pasting the required data into the newly created files. Using OpenStreetMap data, MyWay offers turn-by-turn navigation. Import and export of points of interest. Support of indoor navigation using Bluetooth beacons.
Seeing Assistant Move Seeing Assistant Move is developed by Transition Technologies S.A. and was first released in March 2013. It is the only GPS app designed for blind and visually impaired people that lets the user operate the app through predefined speech commands. It is based on OpenStreetMap and supports the following features: Announcing current location of user Automatic announcement of public points of interest, provided the necessary OpenStreetMap files have been downloaded. Saving user points of interest and announcing these points when they are approached. Announcing points of interest located in the direction the user points their device in. Simulation of places, letting users explore distant places before traveling there. Recording of user-defined routes and walking of these routes. Integrated accessible map. App operation through predefined speech commands. Sending coordinates of point to Apple Maps or Google Maps to initiate turn-by-turn navigation.
Sendero Seeing Eye GPS Sendero Seeing Eye GPS is developed by the Sendero Group in collaboration with several organizations for the blind (Seeing Eye, RNIB, Guide Dogs NSW ACT) and was first released in July 2013. The Seeing Eye GPS is a fully accessible turn-by-turn GPS iPhone app developed by Sendero Group. It has all the normal navigation features plus features unique to blind users, such as simple menu structure, automatic announcements of intersections and points of interest, and routes for both pedestrian and vehicle with heads-up announcements for approaching turns. It uses Foursquare and Google Places for points of interest and Google Maps for street info.
Seeing Eye is not available globally and is offered under various names: Seeing Eye GPS (subscription, North America) Seeing Eye XT (onetime purchase, North America) RNIB Navigator (subscription, UK, Ireland, Germany, France) Guide Dogs NSW ACT (subscription, Australia) The Sendero apps include the following features: Turn-by-turn navigation. Saving of user points of interest. Automatic announcement of public and user points of interest and intersections. Description of intersections. Announcing public and user points of interest and intersections located in the direction the user points their device in.
ViaOpta Nav ViaOpta Nav is developed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and was first released in August 2014. It is available for both IOS and Android devices. It is the only GPS app targeting blind and visually impaired users that offers the possibility to search for accessibility information for example information about intersections, tactile paving, and audible traffic signals. Although OpenStreetMap supports respective categories, this information is not very widely available yet in the map data itself.
ViaOpta Nav uses Apple Maps (on iOS devices) and Google Maps (on Android devices) for address retrieval, and OpenStreetMap for route calculation, intersection information, and public points of interest. ViaOpta Nav supports the following main features: Announcing user's current location. Spoken turn-by-turn navigation. Automatic announcement of intersections. Saving of user points of interest.