This unique and extremely needed application is the culmination of a joint project carried out by teams from the University of Lodz (dr hab. Aneta Pawłowska, Associate Professor at the University of Lodz, from the Faculty of Philosophy and History of the University of Lodz, project manager) and SWPS University (Prof. Krzysztof Krejtz). Its objective was to support the independence of people with visual impairments, increase their access to education, work and active participation in society. It will certainly translate into an improvement in the quality of life of these people, reducing barriers and ensuring equal opportunities in various areas of life. The "Friendly City" project has gained recognition from many bodies – it was awarded at the implementation stage in Poland and abroad.
The system designed by the team from the University of Lodz and SWPS University can be used with the "Przyjazne miasto" application. After its launch, battery-powered tags installed at public transport stops communicate using Bluetooth Low Energy technology with smartphones or smartwatches of blind and visually impaired people. They transmit voice messages to them, including information about the distance and direction of public transport stops and pedestrian crossings. An audio description of the most interesting cultural facilities and monuments in the city centre has been also created. To make sure that the descriptions are precise, they were preceded by eye-tracking studies of the space of Lodz among sighted people. The interface and substantive content of the application have been created in Polish, English, Ukrainian and Spanish.
One of the assumptions of the "Przyjazne miasto" project is also the possibility of its development and broad implementation both in Lodz and in the entire Lodz agglomeration, and ultimately also in other cities. Currently, the application is being tested by the University of Lodz project team with the participation of volunteers and in cooperation with the City of Lodz Office.
The project entitled "Przyjazne miasto. Wsparcie samodzielności osób z dysfunkcją wzroku w zakresie wykorzystania sieci połączeń komunikacji miejskiej w Łodzi z uwzględnieniem aplikacji dotyczącej informacji lokalizacyjnych oraz zabytków architektury miejscowej" [Friendly City. Support for the independence of people with visual impairments in the use of the public transport network in Lodz, taking into account the application regarding location information and local architectural monuments] was implemented (01.12.2021 - 31.12.2024) by the University of Lodz and SWPS University as part of the competition entitled "Rzeczy są dla ludzi" [Things are for people] financed by the National Centre for Research and Development in the amount of PLN 2,913,175.59.
Source: "Przyjazne miasto" project
Edit: Press Office, University of Lodz