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News from Autonomie project
The contest of application devoted to human assistance living has been announced by STMicroelectronics in the context of Autonomie project March, 15th, 2011. You may subscribe onstm32circle.com. Learn more...
Technology to serve the disabled
The Autonomie project develops tools based on advanced technology that enhance the independence of people with vision impairments. These tools are intended to facilitate mobility both indoors and outdoors, and to facilitate access to public transport. The project is firmly set against a backdrop of technological and social innovation, exploring how best to exploit web and mobile phone technologies to enable people with disabilities to live in their city.
Background and legislation
The number of disabled people in France is estimated at about 10% of the population, or around 6 million people. Our research and development project is particularly interested in assisting the mobility of people who are blind or visually impaired, which is about 1 million people. The French law LOI No. 2005-102 of 11 February 2005 for equal rights and opportunities, participation and citizenship of people with disabilities notably includes the need to offer to all the opportunity to move without interruption about the city and public buildings.
The project team
The Autonomie project, backed by the Minalogic global competitiveness cluster in Grenoble, is funded by the European Union through the ERDF with the participation of large industrial groups, SMEs, research institutes and the local community in a multidisciplinary consortium:
- STMicroelectronics and STEricsson : Large groups
- INRIA and University Joseph Fourrier : Research Institutes
- Iv� and Raisonance : SME
- SEMITAG : Public transport for Grenoble and its environs
- Grenoble-Alpes Métropole: Community of communes in the Grenoble region
- SMTC: Public transport infrastructure of community of commune in the Grenoble region
Collaboration with Associations for the visually impaired
Because we believe that technology must serve the human, the project is establishing a strong collaboration with visually impaired people and associations. The involvement of blind and partially sighted people in the phases of requirements definition, final testing, and in between is considered a key point of the project.
Expanding the technology developed towards other horizons
The Autonomie project focuses on visual impaired people but keeps in mind the possibility of applying the technologies developed for other forms of disabilities and different markets. We can mention here for example the fields of sport or security, areas where the 'augmented reality' concepts used to guide visually impaired people may apply.
In this spirit of applying technology for meeting basic needs, the Autonomie project is promoting an innovation competion with the theme of personal assistance based on advanced technology.
