The Institute of "Control Systems, Informatics and Electric Power Engineering" at the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) has created a portable camera with a voice notification system for the visually impaired. The computer vision technology integrated into it determines the bus number, the university's press service reported.

Project author Sofia Voropaeva stated that it is difficult for visually impaired and blind people to move around the city independently. There isn't always someone nearby who can help.

The development is a smart camera to be worn on the chest and an earphone with voice notification. When the user approaches a public transport stop, the system activates automatically. In addition, the camera has an on/off button with Braille.

The computer vision system captures and analyzes all vehicles on the road, identifying suitable ones: bus, trolleybus, tram with their number. Then the information goes to the audio module, where it is checked against the database.

The user receives a voice message about the type of public transport approaching the stop and the route number. The process takes up to 30 seconds. The accuracy of the result is 100%.

Unlike mobile applications, the system works autonomously and does not require user interaction. Voropaeva has already created a working prototype of the device, which has passed initial tests. Patent documentation is being prepared for the product, the university's press service concluded.