Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: company bridges the digital divide with AI-based belt to help blind people navigate streets
Start-up AI Guided’s belt has two wide-angle cameras that capture and analyse images and identify objectsAI Guided is a finalist for the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards 2023 in the category of Spirit of InnovationHong Kong societyJimmy ChowPublished: 10:00am, 18 Sep, 2023Why you can trust SCMP
Now that self-driving cars can rely on autopilot for navigation, one might wonder why visually impaired individuals in Hong Kong still depend on traditional tools such as white canes or guide dogs to move through their environment.
Recognising this deep digital divide, Florence Chan, CEO of AI Guided, has developed a navigation belt to assist visually impaired individuals safely traverse the streets of the city. The start-up she co-founded with chief technology officer Dr Steve Kong focuses on developing AI-enabled navigation solutions.
The latest iteration of the product, now in its 10th generation, is a device worn on the waist, mounted with two wide-angle cameras that capture and analyse images and identify objects using AI algorithms and computer vision.
AI Guided has been selected as a finalist for the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards 2023 in the category of Spirit of Innovation. The annual event, co-organised by the South China Morning Post and property developer Sino Group, honours the achievements of remarkable individuals whose endeavours may otherwise go unnoticed.