GPS route finder technology is coming to mobile phones

• By Paul Crichton
• 21 Feb 07, 03:51 PM

New technology helping visually impaired residents of Turin in Italy to find destinations by giving them directions over mobile phones began recently. If the trial is successful, then it will be free to use for the visually impaired from August.

The system is called “Easy Walk”. The phones are modified to transmit a signal to show where the user is (which is very useful if you are lost) and uses a Global Positioning System and satellites to give them directions like, “left” or “straight on” until they reach where they are going. It’s a similar technology to that used in car navigation systems.

So if a user is in Turin, and wants to find the Egyptian Museum, Easy Walk can guide them right to the front door.

This is a pretty funky use of new technology and as someone who needs a signpost to find the back garden it’s easy to see the benefits. If this works, then I hope it will be rolled out to other countries as a free service.

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