Collision-detecting suitcase helps blind navigate airports
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Mellon University researchers say a smart suitcase that warns blind users of impending collisions and a wayfinding smartphone app can help people with visual disabilities navigate airport terminals safely and independently.
The rolling suitcase sounds alarms when users are headed for a collision with a pedestrian, and the navigation app provides turn-by-turn audio instructions to users on how to reach a departure gate — or a restroom or a restaurant. Both proved effective in a pair of user studies conducted at Pittsburgh International Airport.
They had created the suitcase with the help of Japanese researchers. It sounds alarms when visually impaired users are headed for a collision with a pedestrian. They say the smart suitcase, named BBeep, can help people navigate airport terminals safely and independently.
The university and Pittsburgh International Airport are partners in developing new systems and technologies for enhancing traveller experiences and airport operations.
“Despite recent efforts to improve accessibility, airport terminals remain challenging for people with visual impairments to navigate independently,” said Chieko Asakawa, an IBM Fellow at IBM Research. Airport and airline personnel are available to help them get to departure gates, but they usually can’t explore and use the terminal amenities as sighted people can.
“When you get a five- or sixhour layover and you need to get something to eat or use the restrooms, that is a major hassle,” said one legally blind traveller who participated in a focus group as part of the research. “It would be lovely to be able to get up and move around and do things that you need to do and maybe want to do.”
An increasing number of airports have been installing Bluetooth beacons, which can be used for indoor navigation, but often they are deployed to enhance services for sighted travellers, not to help blind people, observed Kris Kitani, assistant research professor in the Robotics Institute.
“Part of our commitment to the public includes making sure our airport works for everyone, particularly as we modernise our facility for the future,” said Pittsburgh International Airport CEO Christina Cassotis. “We’re proud to partner with such great researchers through Carnegie Mellon University. Having that world-class ingenuity reflected at our airport is emblematic of Pittsburgh’s transformation.” — CMU News
When you get a five- or six-hour layover and you need to get something to eat or use the restrooms, that is a major hassle. It would be lovely to be able to get up and move around and do things that you need to do and maybe want to do. — Legally-blind traveller