Drive a Toyota and you will be supporting a company that works hard to give back to the community and create technological advances. These two goals combine in some of the mobility technology that Toyota is currently working on. One of Toyota’s current projects involves a wearable device designed to give those who are visually impaired or blind more independence and freedom.
Project BLAID
The wearable mobility device being developed is known as Project BLAID. It is designed to help fill in the gaps that have been left by other tools for those who are visually impaired. It can work with basic GPS devices, dogs, and canes by giving users more information concerning their surroundings. The user would wear the device on a shoulder and rely on cameras to detect the surroundings; the device would then use vibration motors and speakers to relay information about these surroundings. In the future, Toyota hopes to integrate facial recognition, object identification, and mapping technologies. As it currently stands, the device should help the visually impaired identify things like doors, stairs, escalators, restrooms, and other everyday features, giving them the independence needed to explore new locations both inside and outside.
Part of a Larger Effort
Project BLAID is just one of the current projects that supplement Toyota’s advances in trucks and cars. Toyota wants to extend the mobility and freedom of everyone. In addition to developing the device itself, Project BLAID will involve an employee engagement campaign that encourages team members across the country to send in videos of outdoor landmarks that are common. Toyota can use these videos to help teach the system how to recognize the landmarks and provide users with better information.
If you are lucky enough to not need the technology of Project BLAID, you can still show your support for it by supporting Toyota. Visit Thomasville Toyota in Thomasville, Georgia, today.
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