D7.7: RFID, Profiling, and AmI

Title: SCENARIO FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION

Sabine Delaitre (IPTS) 

In the framework of the European accessibility policy, the city of Milan (Italy) did some public investments in a navigation support system based on RFID technology so as to equip some administrative buildings of the city. This system will allow disabled people or people with impairment to become self-sufficient and to access to the different offices. 

During the first usage period, some problems occurred without damages. However, one day, because of tag-collisions, some people got lost and one person has suffered substantial damages. He broke his leg by missing some steps of a staircase. According to the device he though he was on the second floor, but in reality he was on the third one and regrettably, on the second floor there is a staircase with lesser steps then on the third floor. After this incident, it was decided to replace all reader* devices by a new type of reader*, comparable to the “agile reader” in order to solve the collisions problem.

In order to forget this regrettable incident and stimulate the future users, the news paper “Periodico di Milano” wishes to publish an article on the new system by interviewing people.  

Two friends, one blind and other one with a low vision are very happy with the new navigation support system. They are able without human assistance to reach any room, any place inside the buildings and relate us their impression: 

“Before, it was very difficult to progress in a building without a good knowledge of it because most of the signalisation is graphical (even for the toilets). And even if the lifts have in general a Braille conversion of the information related to the floors only very few are equipped with a voice-based interface to indicate you where you are, in the fourth floor or another one selected by other person. 

Now thanks to the navigation system, we are independent and we can move in complete freedom and safety. It is easy: at the entrance of the building a small device is offered and helps us to progress in the building. This device communicates with all RFID sensors* and indicates you by voice interface the right path to follow.”