Harvard smartphone navigation app reduces collisions in 14-person test

Harvard researchers reported that 14 test subjects using their Mobilio smartphone app with a cane reached destinations 13% faster and had 41% fewer indoor collisions than people using a cane with Google Maps. The findings appear in Nature Biomedical Engineering. Mobilio combines smartphone sensors and live camera analysis to identify safe walking paths and guide users with customizable audio cues matched to their gait. Its image datasets reflect pedestrians' views rather than drivers' views. The system runs on a standard smartphone. The researchers plan further testing in real-world settings to assess adaptation to users' routines and preferences.