USA: The NaviLens smart phone navigation app for visually impaired people is being tested on Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Boston commuter rail network.
Users scan brightly coloured QR-style codes posted in the stations, and the app will then help them find the correct platform, provide real-time train information and guide them to exits or other landmarks with audio navigation and haptic feedback.
It has initially been deployed at North and Salem stations, with Lynn, Chelsea, Swampscott and Beverly to follow. Train operator Keolis Commuter Services will gather feedback and work with MBTA’s accessibility team to better understand how the technology could support accessible wayfinding.
‘Ensuring that all passengers can safely access the commuter rail is a top priority for Keolis’, said the operator’s CEO Abdellah Chajai on August 29. ‘NaviLens has the potential to give riders who are blind or have low vision the confidence to independently navigate our stations.’
