Amelie is a smart navigation tool for the visually impaired designed to improve their daily life by guiding them and supporting them when using public transport.
The visually impaired rely heavily on public transport for their independence but using it can be challenging. It is difficult to know which bus to get on, where to sit and when to get off. What is a simple journey for most of us it is a challenging experience for the visually impaired.
Amelie is a friendly assistant who ‘sees’ for the users allowing them to relax and enjoy their journey. The users set the destination by directly instructing or asking Amelie. Amelie then provides audio navigation to locate the appropriate bus stop and helps the users identify the correct bus as it approaches the stop. Once in the bus the users are guided to a vacant seat.
During the journey Amelie discreetly provides information about the journey but also enriches the experience by describing the current scene, like informing the user about the people the user is sitting with. Once the bus has arrived at the desired destination, Amelie lets the users know they’ve reached their destination.
Working closely with Cam Sight – a Cambridge based charity which supports people with sight loss - Amelie was designed using input from intended users. Its design and function reflect our understanding of their daily lives and the challenges they face when using public transportation, resulting in an affordable (unlike most existing assistive products) and easy to use device.
“We have been delighted to work with Cambridge Consultants on the Amelie project. Navigating public transport can be a significant challenge for people living with low vision and blindness, and Amelie could be a real help to our members in Cambridgeshire and beyond.” Flóra Raffai, Chief Executive, Cam Sight
Amelie uses state of the art machine learning algorithms to recognise objects, people and text, therefore making it capable of assisting the user in a variety of daily activities. In fact, Amelie can be aware of its surroundings, not just public transport, so it can help the user in several daily activities such as socialising and doing shopping and allows the user to go on with their life with increased confidence.
Amelie’s app takes into consideration the user’s impaired vision and provides information by combining audio and visual feedback. As Amelie is aware of it location it enhances the journey experience by sharing information such as the local weather, news and traffic.
This content was originally posted on Cambridge Consultants' website. Cambridge Consultants develops breakthrough products, creates and licenses intellectual property and provides business consultancy in technology critical issues for clients worldwide. For more than 50 years, the company has been helping its clients turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether they are launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies.
