Aiming to improve accessibility in society (*1) and quality of life for the visually impaired, the consortium will develop an integrated technological solution (hereafter called an 'AI suitcase') that will support people's transport and communication with AI, and will conduct pilot experiments and demonstrations toward ultimate implementation in society. Through its activities, the consortium aims to achieve a co-living society in which people, regardless of any disabilities they may have, can live together with mutual respect for one another's individuality.
Background to the Consortium's Establishment
In recent years, the number of people with visual impairments is on the rise due to age-related declining vision and the onset of eye diseases such as glaucoma. A survey by the
People with visual impairments face a number of challenges; among these, one of the largest hurdles that prevents social participation is the inability to move around town freely. For instance, it is extremely difficult for the visually impaired to do everyday tasks, such as to check their route on a map and head to a destination, to walk on the street while avoiding people or objects, to enter shops after checking signs and signboards, to line up at train stations and stores, or to spot someone whom they know and to greet the person. Since the enactments of the New Barrier Free Transport Act in
To resolve these issues, the consortium will work to develop an AI suitcase, an integrated solution that will help the visually impaired to get around town independently, by supplementing visual information by combining the latest AI with robotics. This AI suitcase is a wearable device and suitcase-shaped navigation robot designed for the visually impaired; it can be carried around easily without stress in one's daily life. Under this consortium, multiple companies in various fields of business will bring together their technologies and expertise to develop such an AI suitcase. Through pilot experiments, the companies will identify the requirements for social implementation and aim to achieve a solution that resolves transport and communication issues for the visually impaired.
The consortium was inspired by the research that
*1 Accessibility: Ease of access to information and services.
*2 Source: 'Social cost of visual impairment in
*3 Source: 'Magnitude, temporal trends, and projections of the global prevalence of blindness and distance and near vision impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis,'
*4 Guerreiro, Joao,
Overview of the Consortium: See more at:
https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsrelease/2020/detail1253.html
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