What if the robots delivering your food could also help blind and partially sighted people navigate city streets more safely?
For years, one of our goals at BlindSquare has been to provide users with reliable, real-time information about obstacles along their walking routes. A map can tell you where the pavement is, but not necessarily what is blocking it today.
That is where our collaboration with Coco Robotics comes in.
Turning everyday journeys into accessibility data
Coco’s delivery robots navigate city streets every day, detecting obstacles as they travel. By sharing these observations with BlindSquare in real time, they can help users become aware of pavement hazards before encountering them.
These hazards can include:
- construction sites and temporary barriers
- e-scooters left on pavements
- other obstacles that make a walking route harder to navigate
The robots need this information to find their own way through the city. That same information can create an entirely new benefit by helping people navigate their surroundings more safely and independently.
From Helsinki to London
Our collaboration began in Helsinki and is now set to expand to London following a new partnership between Coco Robotics and Deliveroo.
The UK rollout begins in Canary Wharf before expanding to Milton Keynes, Leeds, Stockton-on-Tees and Nottingham. As Coco’s robots move through these locations, their observations can give BlindSquare users more timely information about obstacles ahead.
This is an exciting example of technology developed for one purpose creating new benefits for others. A delivery robot does not only need to navigate around obstacles itself. The information it collects can also help make cities more accessible for everyone.
Imagine a future where robots moving through our cities actively help people travel with greater confidence.
Read the Deliveroo and Coco Robotics partnership announcement.