In Italy there are more then 120.000 visually impaired people but unfortunately, only few of them are able to use the public transport system regularly.
This is due to many problems they can encounter trying to use the service, such as recognizing the right bus stop, getting information on which buses are
passing by that stop and understanding when the right bus is approaching and where exactly it is going to stop in order to be able to get on it without trouble.
iStop is the solution for all these problems and aims to support and help visually impaired people to get on buses easily and practically…missing the bus or getting the wrong one will no longer be possible.
iStop is based on a Smart Pole, an improvement of the traditional bus stop pole that makes it smarter, in combination with an application that the visually impaired person downloads on his smartphone.
First, while the user is getting closer to the bus stop, the application is able to feel the presence of the station, ask for confirmation from the user and activate a
sound signal on the Smart Pole in order to help the visually impaired person to find it easily. When close to the Smart Pole, the application asks the user which bus he would like to get and waits for a vocal response. As soon as the bus is selected, the application
informs the user of the precise waiting time and sends the bus number to the Smart Pole, that shows it on a display located on it. The role of the display is to enable the driver
of the bus, that is approaching the station, to recognize his number and stop the bus in proximity of the Smart Pole. Finally, the application alerts the user with voice playback when the bus is arriving,
so that he can easily get on board.
Click here to download the project pitch presentation.