SmartAIs provides a mobile application that offers spatial orientation assistance for blind and visually impaired users. The app uses smartphone camera input to describe the surrounding environment and guide users to specific points of interest with precise distance and direction. This technology facilitates last-meter navigation both outdoors and indoors, enhancing independent mobility.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Blind and visually impaired individuals face significant challenges in navigating independently, especially in unfamiliar environments with obstacles. Traditional mobility aids like white canes provide tactile feedback but offer limited information about objects at head level or changes in terrain. This can lead to collisions, hesitation, and reduced confidence in navigating public spaces.
Solution
SmartAIs offers a real-time orientation aid that enhances mobility for users who are blind or visually impaired. The system combines a smartphone application, bone conduction headphones, and an optional sling bag to provide spatial audio cues about the user's surroundings. The application uses computer vision and AI to analyze the user's path, identify obstacles, and deliver auditory alerts through the headphones, allowing for hands-free navigation. This enables users to move more confidently and safely, avoiding collisions and navigating complex environments with greater ease.
Target Audience
The primary target audience is blind and visually impaired individuals seeking to enhance their independent mobility and navigate environments more safely and confidently.
Features
- Real-time obstacle detection using the iPhone's camera and computer vision algorithms
- Spatial audio feedback delivered through bone conduction headphones, providing directional cues about obstacles
- Adjustable sensitivity and range settings to customize the system to individual user needs and environments
- Integration with a sling bag for secure and comfortable phone placement during use
- User-friendly interface with voice control for hands-free operation