Toyota is Developing “BLAID” a Wearable Device that Helps Blind and Visually Impaired

BLAID is a device designed to help visually blind people to move around indoor spaces such as buildings, shopping malls and offices. The device resembles a smaller travel pillow that can be worn around the neck, as reported at Toyota's blog.

It has camera that can recognize stairs, escalators and doors. The device's speakers and vibration motors will be used to relay the information about the blind person's surroundings. It also has voice recognition features and button that allows users to interact with it. It will fill the gaps left by dogs, canes and basic GPS.

"Project BLAID is one example of how Toyota is leading the way to the future of mobility, when getting around will be about more than just cars," said Simon Nagata, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Toyota Motor North America. He added that the company wants to deliver a freedom of mobility for all, no matter their ability, circumstance or location.

As part of the project, Toyota is launching an employee engagement campaign where it invites teams within the company to submit videos of common indoor landmarks. These will be used by the BLAID developers to "teach" the new device in recognizing these landmarks.

Doug Moore, Manager, Partner Robotics, Toyota said, "Toyota is more than just the great cars and trucks we build; we believe we have a role to play in addressing mobility challenges, including helping people with limited mobility do more."

The company believes that the project has the potential to improve the lives of people who are blind and visually impaired. Toyota will eventually add facial recognition technologies, mapping and object identification to the device.

Meanwhile, Toyota is reportedly been investing in robotic technology in an effort to help the elderly, especially those who lives in Japan. Some of the company's developments are strap-on robotic leg and human support robot to help retrieve objects for people who are unable to do so, Fortune reported.