Technologies to assist disabled

SESAMONET (A Secure and Safe Mobility NETwork) has been developed and patented at JRC to improve the mobility of visually impaired people.
The idea consists in using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) passive transponders (i.e. micro chips) to create a path guiding a visually impaired person through a location. Already used for the electronic identification of cattle, these chips can be recycled when the animal reaches the end of its life. Being based on passive transponders, the RFID path does not need any electric power supply and can be easily installed in areas such as parks, pedestrian areas, town centers, buildings, etc.
The working principles are the following:

• the walking stick has an embedded antenna (with a Bluetooth transmitter) which detects/reads the RFID transponders
• each transponder sends a signal via the antenna to a Smart Phone equipped with a database with information on the location
• through a Bluetooth headset the disabled person receives information on the path (e.g. how to reach his/her destination, whether there are obstacles, if some services are nearby, etc.)
• it is possible to connect the Smart Phone to an external database with real-time information on the path (work in progress, changes to transport schedule, etc.)