People with visual impairments can navigate a city via their smartphone
- 10 Nov
For many of us when we get lost we simply get out our phones and use the map on it; however for people with visual impairments that can be a lot trickier.
Microsoft have developed a headset which will help to guide people with visual impairments around cities.
It is currently only compatible with Windows phones and uses location and navigation data along with a network of information beacons in urban areas to describe routes, reports the BBC.
The headset has been tested on a journey from Reading to London which included a shopping trip along with bus and train travel.
The charity Guide Dogs, which helped develop the technology, said it could help improve lives.
"People living with sight loss face a multitude of challenges every day that can prevent them from getting where they want to be in life," explained Jenny Cook, head of strategy and research at Guide Dogs.
"Currently, visiting a new city is often daunting, even for people with enough confidence to tackle the challenge independently. For others, who rarely leave home alone, the thought of an unfamiliar journey leaves them stressed and anxious and visiting a new area is an impossible dream."
Do you think this could be a viable solution?
What do you think of this? Tweet us your comments @suppsolutions
This blog post has been written by our sister company The Media Bubble who specialise in social media for the social sector.
Related articles
- 19 May
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF YOUNG PEOPLE
The online survey posed questions to 1,479 people between ages 14 to 24 to rate which social media platform (of YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter) negatively impact their users.The...
- 25 Jul
SOCIAL MEDIA APPS FOR HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS
INSTAGRAMGOOGLE TRANSLATEHOMESWAPPER MATCHESFACEBOOK LIVEWHATSAPPTAWKYou can download these apps online and via Android or IOS devices as well. Enjoy!What do you think? Please tweet...
- 17 Jun
FREE DEVICES AND APPS FOR BETTER HEALTH
Some of such devices and apps which will be available in April 2017 are:AliveCor- A mobile heart monitor (strapped to the back of a smartphone) which will also save NHS money, reducing need for...
- 08 Jun
#UKHousingFast
The #UKHousingFast is a social media campaign which is led by people living and working in social housing to support the activities of Trussell Trust.This fast is in its third year and will take...
- 26 Jan
Twitter leads national campaign for compassionate care
#HelloMyNameIs is a social media based campaign created by one doctor, Kate Granger, in order to encourage healthcare professionals to introduce themselves to patients.The campaign is now being...
- 23 Jan
Social media for housing associations
Online engagement between many commercial and charitable organisations and their clients and users has become very popular. However, many housing organisations have not succeeded as well as they...
- 22 Jan
An effective social media strategy for your social organisation
It is important to reach a position on social media where the community feels comfortable in sharing the content that you post.Your content should reflect the trust and integrity your users have for...
- 15 Jan
The Social Media Presence of Social Organisations
However, there are still many organisations who are not taking full advantage of social media platforms by not regularly updating their users and followers with content, nor sharing links that their...
- 15 Jan
Charity urges homelessness to be put to an end
Homeless Link, in its manifesto to end homelessness, has urged the next Government to end rough sleeping, ensure employment and welfare support, provide more homes and protect the rights of tenants,...
- 13 Jan
Instagram for your Social Organisation
It has beat Twitter in terms of number of users, but it is currently outperforming in terms of engagement as well.Instagram's engagement is 50 times higher than Twitter. The difference is a large...
Support Solutions 5th National Housing Support & Social Care Conference 2014 The Social and Financial return seminar was very helpful, helped me think about our approach to bidding, negotiating for funding and keeping hold of what we have! The New Technology seminar was really an eye opener- really got me thinking about potential applications for older people. P.M - Four Housing
