'Guide phone' for blind users tested in Finland

Finnish researchers said they have developed a voice-based system for mobile phones that help guide visually impaired travelers around town, including when using public transport.

The guidance system, made by the Finnish Technical Research Centre (VTT), uses a satellite-positioning device paired to a mobile phone with Internet access, hooking users up to interactive maps and online databases for public transport timetables and routes.

These features tell the blind, through a voice-enabled feature, how to navigate about town, plan a trip by public transportation, get to the nearest stop on that route and when to get off at the right place.

Thanks to the GPS feature, users are told by the phone their exact location with an accuracy of a few meters, VTT said. Through Internet connection the blind can also listen to news and weather forecasts.

While the system does not replace guide dogs and canes for the blind, its wealth of information and easy interface should make their lives easier, the inventors said.

The service is being tested in cooperation with the Nordic country's association for the visually-impaired, and is so far only available in Finnish.