Talking-Points project

Talking-Points is a GROCS funded collaborative project whose aim is to enhance the walking journey for those who are blind or visually impaired. By using a mobile computer to read Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags positioned around a city, such as Ann Arbor, contextual location information is audibly presented to the user. Information about each location on which the tag placed is stored in an online database. This information is retrieved by the cellular data connected mobile computer when the user comes within close proximity to a “Talking Point.” The information for each Talking Point is maintained by the Talking-Points community which will not be exclusive to blind users. Users of the TalkingPoints system is not limited to the blind or visually impaired; anyone with an RFID enabled mobile internet device can access the Talking-Points database.