NaviLens
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NaviLens is a color matrix barcode intended to help blind and visually impaired people find their way around railway and subway stations, museums, libraries, and other public spaces.[1]
The color matrix code, a tag similar to a simplified QR code[2], is read by an app on the smartphone, and then provides selected information about the detected tag's location relative to the user (distance, angle) and about the target to be reached. This could be public transportation schedules, potential physical obstacles, or physical descriptions of the environment. Users can also download tags, print them, and customize their meaning to label food boxes or personal documents.[3]
Navilens was developed by the Laboratorio de Investigación en Visión Móvil (Movile Vision Research Laboratory)[4] at the University of Alicante, in collaboration with the Spanish startup NaviLens.[citation needed]
Navilens is proprietary software; intellectual property and licensing rights follow Spanish law, and are held by NaviLens' parent company Neosistec.[5][6] When using the app, location data and serial number of the smartphone are recorded; the company earns revenue from use of this data. public use of the codes requires paying a license fee to Neostatic; personal use in the home or other private sphere is currently automatically licensed free of charge.[citation needed]
The food product company Kellogg's has obtained a license to put codes on several of their products.[7]
Examples
[edit]- Public transport in Spain[8]
- New York City subway stations[9]
- Some Belgian railway stations[10]
- VIA Metropolitan Transit[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Morris, Amanda (2021-12-20). "Navigational Apps for the Blind Could Have a Broader Appeal". The New York Times.
- ^ Carlin, Dave (2024-01-23). "MTA using technology similar to QR codes to help commuters access trains and buses more easily". CBS News. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "These colorful stickers are helping blind people find their way around". technologyreview.com. 6 June 2019. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021.
- ^ Alicante, Mobile Vision Research Laboratory University of. "Mobile Vision Research Laboratory". Mobile Vision Research Laboratory. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ "NaviLens Terms". www.navilens.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ "Neosistec. Especialistas en innovación y desarrollo de software" [Neosistec. Specialists in innovation and software development]. www.neosistec.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Curry, Ebony JJ (2023-03-13). "New app helps visually impaired with grocery shopping". ABC 12 WJRT-TV. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Swain, Frank (2019-06-06). "These colorful stickers are helping blind people find their way around". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ amNewYork (2024-10-12). "Ask the MTA | The entrance to Grand Central Madison and expanding the NaviLens pilot program | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ "B-navilens". Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ Reports, SBG San Antonio Staff (2024-02-09). "San Antonio transit introduces NaviLens for visually impaired riders". KABB. Retrieved 2024-10-24.