In Portugal there are over 160 000 visually impaired individuals, most of which find it very difficult to get around in public spaces. Over the past few years there has been a growing concern with the creation of accesses for these people, such as crosswalk lights with sound cues or marked stairs and elevators. Despite this efforts, still only 1 in 20 crosswalk lights have sound cues and the urban furniture (like phone booths, trash cans, ad billboards, benches, etc) is not designed with that in mind.

    To solve this issue, a group of students from Instituto Superior Técnico came up with Beep aWay. This device resembles a watch, light and ergonomic, that beeps or vibrates increasingly while approaching obstacles on the street. These obstacles are equipped with a radio frequency emitter that communicates with the Beep aWay, alerting the user.

    With positive feedback from the community, especially from the Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted of Portugal (Acapo), Beep aWay revolutionizes the way blind people move around in their day to day life, giving them more mobility and autonomy in public spaces at affordable prices.