In recent weeks, the experimentation of LETIsmart, an advanced technology designed to help people with visual impairments to move with greater safety and autonomy in urban spaces, has begun in Turin. LETIsmart, which from the outside looks like a normal white cane for the blind, actually integrates a microcomputer that interacts with infrastructures distributed throughout the territory.
The project, conceived by Marino Attini, a visually impaired person, is carried out by the microelectronics company SCEN in collaboration with UICI Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired and IRIFOR. Turin is one of the first large cities to test this innovation: the first fifty radio beacons, essential for the operation of LETIsmart, have been installed at the traffic lights of five key intersections in the center, thanks to the intervention of Iren technicians, on the instructions of the UICI of Turin.
LETIsmart technology provides audible indications of surrounding points of interest, such as pedestrian crossings with sound traffic lights, public transport stops, schools, hospitals and shops. It also allows the user to activate acoustic signals that guide them to their desired destination, warn bus or tram drivers in advance of their presence and activate sound traffic lights without the need to manually press the button.
The operation of the system depends on the presence of a widespread and well-distributed network of radio beacons, small devices that emit radio frequencies recognized by LETIsmart’s sensors. The project aims to strategically place these beacons in the points of greatest use for blind or partially sighted people.
The initiative was enthusiastically welcomed by the local authorities and the companies involved. The City of Turin has authorized the project, which also enjoys the support of Italdesign, a company active in promoting initiatives with a positive social impact in the region.
The President of the UICI of Turin, Giovanni Laiol, expressed gratitude to all those who supported the project: “We are happy that such a promising technology is also taking hold in our city. Our gratitude goes to all the people and businesses who have chosen to support us, both economically and through their professionalism. It is also important that the city administration has recognized the value and potential of the LETIsmart system. Now we hope that, thanks also to the support of the institutions, the infrastructure network necessary for the operation of this tool will be progressively expanded. The next milestone could be the positioning of radio beacons in metro stations, which would be a valuable step forward towards a more inclusive city that is more attentive to everyone’s needs“.
Chiara Foglietta, Councillor for Innovation of the Municipality of Turin, underlined: “Inclusion is also built with the right tools and technology, creating the conditions for achieving greater autonomy; in this way it can be the best ally of people with disabilities, allowing them to express their potential, going beyond barriers and aiming to life projects richer in opportunities, participation and integration. It is with this conviction that we have decided to host in Turin the experimentation of an innovative project such as the LETIsmart system, which we continue to follow carefully, certain that the New technological solutions can allow people with disabilities, and not only them, to live better, with more autonomy and self-determination“.
