GPS has made outdoor navigation so simple (and so much safer); COSY will move the miracle of localization and navigation indoors!
Now we’ll be moving on to indoor localization and navigation for the blind (and everyone else). The previous post discussed 3D immersive mapping and how it will benefit retailers and consumers but that’s just part of the COSY solution. Once we have that detailed map, we can solve one of the biggest problems faced by anyone entering a complex indoor environment.
Let me start with a story that I frequently hear from people who are blind. They tell me that the miracle of GPS has made it possible for them to reach almost any destination to which they can walk. It’s obvious that they get into trouble once they enter the building and can no longer receive a GPS signal but the challenge actually occurs a bit sooner. They lament that they have no trouble finding buildings but can’t find the door once they get there. How frustrating must it be to circle a building trying to find the door? Anyone that has parked in a large parking garage has probably experienced this challenge even though they can see.
It’s clearly a more persistent problem for someone who is blind or visually impaired but navigating complex indoor environments can be challenging for anyone. Transit centers, convention centers, malls, sports venues – the list is extensive of settings where GPS would be quite handy and…that’s where COSY will make your life so much better.
Let’s start with a definition. In our setting, localization means to determine where you are (it’s what happens with every app that seeks your permission to know your location). It’s simple when you can access GPS but there haven’t been any elegant solutions indoors until now. Previous efforts have focused on triangulation with beacons or wifi, RFID tagging, and other solutions which require infrastructural modification.
COSY will change all of that by using computer vision and your smartphone’s sensors to pinpoint you with great accuracy. Once you know where you are, navigation becomes a relatively simple process. The previous posts mentioned the immersive maps which will allow us to find and direct you with a very high degree of accuracy. Although the speed and precision will be somewhat reduced, our solution will also work with much simpler maps.