MoBIC: An Aid to Increase the Independent Mobility of Blind Travellers

This article outlines the research of a multi-national team to develop a new travel aid to increase the independent mobility of blind and partially sighted people. The MoBIC travel aid (MoTA) consists of two inter-related components: the MoBIC Pre-Journey System (MoPS) assists users in exploring maps and planning journeys; and the MoBIC Outdoor System (MoODS) allows them to execute these plans by providing orientation and navigation assistance during journeys. The MoODS is a secondary aid, complementing primary aids such as the long cane or guide dog. The process by which initial prototypes of the system were developed is outlined and the elicitation of user requirements is discussed. Some results of initial evaluations conducted in the United Kingdom and the first field trials conducted in Germany are also presented.