The Blaid is a little weird-shaped device that will fill the gaps left by canes, dogs and basic GPS devices by providing the blind and visually impaired with more information about their surroundings. Worn around the shoulders, it will help them better navigate indoor spaces, such as office buildings and shopping malls, by identifying everyday features, including restrooms, escalators, stairs and doors.
Calling Toyota employees for help
As part of the project BLAID, we have also launched an employee engagement campaign that invites employees company-wide to submit videos of common indoor landmarks. These videos will subsequently be used by the Project BLAID developers to “teach” the device to better recognise these landmarks.