Japanese blind researcher developing suitcase-cum-navigational tool for visually impaired travellers
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Researcher Chieko Asakawa walks with an AI-equipped suitcase she is developing in Koto Ward, Tokyo.
PHOTO: THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Follow topic:
TOKYO – A blind researcher in Japan is developing a suitcase that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help visually impaired people navigate safely.
“With the power of science and technology, we can reduce the gap between people with disabilities and those without,” said researcher Chieko Asakawa, 64, chief executive director of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo.
She struck upon the idea of a suitcase-cum-navigating device around 2017 when the luggage she was pushing at an airport hit a wall. She then realised suitcases could be used as a tool for detecting obstacles.
The researcher lost her eyesight at 14 as a result of an accident in elementary school. After graduating from university, she joined computer maker IBM Japan’s research and development division in Tokyo in 1985.
According to Dr Asakawa, she started using computers to help overcome challenges in finding information herself as a visually impaired person.
At IBM Research Tokyo, she developed a Japanese digital Braille system and a voice-enabled Internet browser.
In 2009, she was appointed an IBM fellow, the highest position for IBM engineers, and in 2014, she went to an American university as an IBM distinguished service professor, which involved more opportunities for international travel.
Working with companies, universities and other organisations, Dr Asakawa is in the process of developing the state-of-the-art suitcase that can help users get to their destination and avoid obstacles.
The latest prototype operates at close to the average walking speed of an adult and is equipped with sensors that enable it to track obstacles and people.
The system provides voice guidance about the location and surroundings.
One of the next steps will be getting the technology to handle crowded situations.
The ultimate goal is to make it possible for blind people using the AI suitcase to move around just as safely and smoothly as fully sighted people, she said.
“I hope to use the AI suitcase to travel by myself so I can visit friends around the world,” Dr Asakawa added.
THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
