Space technology for the blind and visually impaired

The main problem for the blind and visually impaired is getting to a destination accurately by foot or public transport. With the advancement of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, the blind and visually impaired can use many GPS-ready devices as travel aids. The goal of this study is to explore the advantages and disadvantages of such device, in specific the Trekker by Humanware. Trekker is a tool that combines GPS and audio guided GPS maps to help the visually impaired benefiting from the most interesting opportunities their surroundings have to offer. Evaluating Trekker in term of technical specifications or the quantity of information it delivers would not be sufficient but should be evaluated in terms of its effectiveness in the real time situations. This paper aims to determine the adaptability and practicality of the usage of Trekker by the blind and visually impaired in Kuala Lumpur area. Three main components are analyzed from its hardware, interfacing and application point of view.