In the news: Smart Paint

John Lannutti

, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Associate Chair, Academic Affairs, talked to Government Technology about a new tool to help blind and visually impaired people better navigate the world around them.

The goal of “smart paint for networked smart cities” is to assist people who are blind and visually impaired by implementing a “smart paint” technology that provides accurate location services. You might think, “Can’t GPS do that?” But, surprisingly, current GPS-based solutions actually cannot tell whether somebody is walking on the sidewalk or down the middle of the street. Meanwhile, modern urban intersections are becoming increasingly complex. That means that finding a crosswalk, aligning to cross and maintaining a consistent crossing direction while in motion can be challenging for people who are visually impaired.

Visit Government Technology for the full story.