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MBTA testing new tech to help blind find bus stops
The agency will install Bluetooth beacons on bus stop signs that can communicate via a smartphone app to tell users how close they are to the stop.
July 7, 2017
Perkins School for the Blind
1 min to read
Perkins School for the Blind
BOSTON — The Boston Globe reports that the MBTA plans to test technology to make it easier for visually impaired riders to find where to stand when waiting for one of its buses.
The agency will install Bluetooth beacons on bus stop signs that can communicate via a smartphone app to tell users how close they are to the stop.
The app, called BlindWays, had its debut last fall, and so far has relied on crowdsourcing by sighted volunteers to provide more precise information about bus stops. The Perkins School worked with Boston software developer Raizlabs to build the app technology. For the full story, click here.
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