The Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) has developed a navigation and guidance voice-control system for a mobile phone. The system will make everyday life and the use of public transport easier for the visually impaired in particular, but it is also suitable for guiding those who can see and for those whose job entails moving about.

The new guidance system, which is at present undergoing pilot tests, brings a voice control interface to a normal mobile phone.

"So far, various accessories, such as a speaking clock and speaking compass, have been available for those who are visually impaired. When all the functions are obtained via the same user interface, you don't need a lot of accessories. A mere mobile phone is enough," stresses Ari Virtanen, a researcher at VTT.

The system is in constant contact with public and real-time data banks, such as bus, train and tram routes and timetables, roadwork information, and news and weather services. In addition to planning a journey, the system can guide you to stops, tell you about the coming of a vehicle and its arrival at a stop and guide you from a stop to the destination.

"The system exists and is developing with time, and it will not become obsolete as the technology advances. Using omnibus services will eliminate the expensive and wearisome collection and updating of information," says Virtanen.

Service without mobile operator

The service, which uses positioning and is based on speech, will in the future be beneficial not only to the visually impaired but also to other parties, companies, associations and private consumers.

Future users of the system will be able to form a subscriber community whose members will have shared interests and the need to exchange information. The strength of the system is in its ability to collect information from several sources, combine it and transmit to the user only information that is important to him or her - compared with mass text messages.

"We're talking about a mobile phone service that has been implemented without a mobile operator. This may be of great importance to the mobile business of the future."

Gradually part of everyday life

The wide-scale introduction of the system, which is undergoing pilot tests, will take more time. It may become an everyday feature in ten years' time.

Virtanen says that further work is needed on the mechanisms for producing the information and distributing it. The information, as such, is in existence, but it is in the wrong form or unavailable inside closed systems. Open interfaces, method development and political will are needed in order to solve matters. There are no technological obstacles as such. They system could be partially implemented immediately.

The aim is to introduce the concept in due course in Europe at least. Interest has already been aroused and cooperation is being kindled in Japan and Sweden.

This is how it works:

Technically the speech user interface of VTT's guidance system is based on speech synthesis done by a mobile phone and on the analysis and recognition of speech done by a server computer. Speech recognition is not dependent on the speaker. The server in the system utilizes the text material available on the Internet and makes information searches on different data banks. The results are transmitted to the user's mobile phone.

The user needs a smart phone that has GPRS/UMTS and into which outside programs can be downloaded. To be able to use the system to its full extent, GPS positioning is required. A separate program that uses the system is required for the phone. The mobile phone interface must have an Internet-accessing capability.

>> http://www.vtt.fi/tuo/53/projektit/noppa/index.htm

Technology developed by VTT helps the visually-impaired obtain a new kind of speech guidance on a mobile phone.
Photo: Jussi Hyttinen. J.G.M. Studio Oy