By Monica Kotwani, Channel NewsAsia, 3 Jan 2013
A team of Ngee Ann Polytechnic lecturers and students has designed a mobile application for the visually impaired to help them navigate their way to their destination.
The app, called the Travel Assistant for the Visually Impaired (TAVI), is believed to be the first of its kind in mapping specific locations into an app.
It comes with large fonts for the partially visually impaired, and audio feedback for those who have lost their sight completely.
TAVI allows users to click through options, choose between the sheltered or the shortest path, and eventually navigate their way to the destination.
It even gives directions like where to turn after walking certain distances.
TAVI was created early last year by lecturers and students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic's School of InfoComm and Technology.
There are other apps in the market that use GPS technology to help the visually impaired get around but these have some limitations.
Muhammad Zahier, 25, is one of the few to have tested out the app. He lost his sight about seven years ago.
Muhammad Zahier, Guide of Dialogue in the Dark, said: "It was an interesting journey, because the app could tell me where I am at currently, and it could tell me how far should I walk before I turn somewhere. Those GPS devices don't really guide me in a walking sense. It's more like they tell me how far I am from my destination."
TAVI's student developers were inspired after a visit to Dialogue in the Dark, a social enterprise that aims to create an awareness of the challenges faced by Singapore's visually impaired. It took many interviews with Dialogue's guides to understand exactly what was needed in an assistive app.
Yong Shan Xian, TAVI developer at the School of InfoComm and Technology, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, said: "When we spoke to them, they actually said they needed something that is more cost-effective. In fact, because TAVI is funded by the Tote Board, it comes free."
The team received S$118,000 in funding from the Tote Board.
The app is still being tested, but developers hope to have it ready for use in the next two months.
They also hope to eventually upload it on iTunes, customised with more locations.
Developers say they are in talks with Singapore's bus operators to customise transport features into the app.
The idea is to let visually impaired commuters know how far away the bus is.
When on board the bus, the app would tell them when they are approaching their desired bus stop number.
Developers say they also hope to include other features like a directory for certain buildings in the next two years.
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