RFID Helps People Find their Way in Italy

The European Union has funded a research project that is developing RFID-enabled pathways for the blind. Some 10 people are testing three pathways in Italy as part of the SESAMONET project.

Users hold specially designed canes as they navigate the paths. The readers inside the canes then identify the RFID tags embedded in the ground along the length of the path.

The tag’s unique identification number is sent with a wireless connection to a pocket computer, which calculates the location of the pedestrian. This information is turned into an audio signal that the user hears in a wireless earpiece – a beep for the right and a bop for the left. The audio clues help the user continue along the centre of the path.

At intersections, a similar system helps avoid accidents by activating the crosswalk signal to indicate that the blind person wants to move to the other side of the street.

The application helps blind people orient themselves in unfamiliar areas, and it could also be adapted as a commercial application to provide travellers with a virtual audio tour guide in cities around the world.