NaviLens
A free app for blind people to navigate, go shopping, and read signs using coloured codes.
How does it work?
NaviLens and NaviLens GO! are apps for the visually impaired that read and contextulise coloured codes in 1/30 seconds using the phone camera. NaviLens is for city navigation and NaviLens GO! is for indoor navigation (where GPS doesn't work). The app works at a distance, at any orientation, in any light condition with no need to focus the camera. The codes can be used on anything. The app lists information and dictates the distance from the code. This is useful for places with a lot of information at one time (such as a supermarket aisle). The app can read each object's code and as the visually impaired person gets closer, the app will continue to tell them their proximity to the object. It is used on transport systems outside stations and inside trains and buses so that blind people can read the signs and navigate. It gives real-time information about the transport system such as train times and schedules.
Why is it needed?
It addresses the problem of visually impaired people needing to point their cameras directly at a code, or peice of text that they cannot see. With the NaviLens codes, the camera doesn't need to point directly at one thing, and hold still. It empowers visually impaired people to be independent, allowing them to navigate their environment easily without any sighted assistance. They can use the free app without knowing where the codes are placed. The codes make cities, museums, subways and public buildings completely accessible. It's much more accurate than screen readers and more convenient than QR codes.
How does it improve life?
The reason that NaviLens stands out in its capability to improve life is that it takes away the need for sighted assistance for quick everyday tasks (such as supermarket shopping or using a transport system). It is an object that recognises the desires of visually impaired people to live without needing to ask for help. The codes themselves are also specifically designed with the understanding that they should work quickly at long distances. The codes are easy to install, they can simply be stuck onto any sign or object. For objects that all feel the same, (eg jars, tins and boxed goods) using an app such as be my eyes or asking someone else in the shop is extremely time consuming and even occasionally frustrating, so being able to sweep the NaviLens app around as they walk through the aisle is a huge improvement. All of the features are currently in 34 languages.