For postgraduate project
Press Release 23 OCTOBER 2014
RNIB PARTNERS WITH SIEMENS TO LAUNCH A PORTABLE ‘BUS CATCHER’ DEVICE FOR BLIND PEOPLE The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) partners with Siemens and proudly announces the launch of an innovative device, „Triple H‟, in London to help people with sight problems to catch the buses efficiently. On the 1st of November 2014 these devices will be available for Blind people to purchase at the RNIB online shop and from Siemens‟ stores for 35 pounds (inc VAT). There are approximately 300 thousand visually impaired people living in London who rely on public transportation due to their inability to drive themselves. According to RNIB‟s bus experience survey, nine in ten people with sight loss cannot see an approaching bus in time to hail it, so RNIB finds the necessity of creating such a product. As Siemens has already successfully completed a major project with Transport for London (TFL) to install an Automatic Vehicle Location system on London‟s buses known as iBus, RNIB decided to partner with Siemens to design the new device. The product is a portable and voice-controlled device like a hearing-aid, which contains a Global Positioning System (GPS) to locate and guide users. It is also connected with the iBus system to receive realtime locating information of buses. With such a device, visually impaired users can easily find the nearest bus stop, catch the bus in time and get off at the right stop by simply using their voice to set up a destination. Juergen Maier, the Chief Executive of Siemens, said: “Our product is a new and innovative device which we hope to facilitate people with sight loss to move easily around London. It is the first product that has been specially designed for visually impaired people with built-in functions such as voice control, audio announcement and GPS.” The device has been already successfully tested by a group of visually impaired people for its efficiency and accuracy. Lesley-Anne Alexander, the CEO of RNIB, added: “We expect that this new device will make bus travel better for people with sight loss and bring more independence, choice and control to their lives. In the next year we aim to introduce the product across the UK to help more people who suffer from sight loss”. -END-