In Singapore, Smartphones Connect the Visually Impaired With Sighted Guides

Grey Singapore has created a smartphone app which aims to help the visually impaired by connecting them remotely to a sighted guide. Users launch the "Lend an Eye" app via voice-activation to call for a guide, with their request going out to a group of guides simultaneously. They are then guided to their destination by a sighted person via live video streaming and an embedded map, and can communicate with the guide via hands-free equipment. Although the system is dependent on a wireless internet connection, it's an interesting idea that the agency claims can help the visually impaired to become more independent by making decisions for themselves.

The app is currently available on Android and the iOS version is expected to be available in May. It has been trialled with a group of visually impaired employees from the Eureka Call Centre Systems, and you can see videos of some of their testimony on the Lend An Eye website.