San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has unveiled a prototype version of a first-of-its-kind app, which can help visually impaired passengers navigate through an airport terminal. The app makes use of iBeacons located throughout Terminal 2, which prompt it to audibly call out various points of interest when they are within the smartphone’s proximity.
“This groundbreaking new innovation offers visually impaired passengers something remarkable: the ability to navigate through SFO independently without assistance,” said John L. Martin, Airport Director, San Francisco International Airport.
The app has been developed through the Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program, which paired SFO with a company called Indoo.rs, an expert in indoor navigation technology. The two organisations worked together to develop the app in just 16 weeks.
A total of 500 iBeacons, which make use of Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) technology to communicate with smartphones, have been installed throughout the terminal, from the front entrance to the boarding gates, as well as in baggage reclaim for arriving passengers.
When a passenger is near boarding gates, restaurants and power outlets, for example, the app informs them by calling out details. The prototype version will now undergo further testing, before being released for use by the general public.
SFO’s Martin added: “I appreciate the collaboration with Indoo.rs and the Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, made possible by Mayor Ed Lee’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program.”
Source: Future Travel Experience
