Benjamin Levicek In the last episode of the series Technique without eyes, we they dedicated how visually impaired people can use navigation and whether it is useful for them at all. Today we will look at Lazarillo, which is a very interesting software that makes it easier for blind people to navigate in space. We will talk about how this program works in practice in the next lines of this article.
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At the outset, it should be mentioned that even when you do not have the reading program turned on voiceover, a voice guide speaks to you in the app. In the first panel, survey, you can view nearby places such as shops, transport or health, after all, probably like in the vast majority of today's modern navigation systems. However, what is special is that for each place it is displayed how many hours it is from you. For example, if a coffee shop is to your left, the app will tell you that it is located at 9 o'clock. In addition, Explore in the Lazarillo app can tell you if you're passing by a point of interest. The developers also thought of larger cities, where the application would not stop reading out nearby places, so you can filter or disable exploration.
If we should focus on the other three screens, then the one with the title Favourite it does not bring anything interesting except the possibility of saving places, the same applies to news, which stores notifications. When you look into Settings, you will see options for increasing or decreasing the volume of the voice guide, speeding up/slowing down the voice, changing the units of length or format of the announcement. The latter option ensures that locations are reported in either clock positions, relative directions (such as forwards or backwards) or cardinal points. That's about all of the interesting items in Settings.
The most important function that Lazarillo can do, however, is undoubtedly navigation. In addition to finding a place by exploring, you can of course also search on the explore screen. After starting the navigation, the application will ask you if you want to use Lazarillo or another software installed on your phone. Unless you choose the option Walk, Lazarillo always redirects you to another application. It is intended for the blind, and the developers do not assume that a visually impaired person could drive a motor vehicle. The application uses Google Maps, so the map data is very reliable. The advantage over classic navigation applications from the point of view of the blind is, as I already mentioned, the announcement of what time it is, in which direction, or on which side of the world some place or turn is located. In addition, it also contains a compass - so it is not difficult for a blind person to orientate himself according to Lazarillo.
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Pavel Jelic It is clear to me that a specialized application for blind users without a handicap will not be appreciated, on the other hand, it is a very interesting program that offers many functions. In addition, its benefits include the fact that it is free and completely in Czech, even though its developers come from Chile. If you are interested in how such an application for the blind works, nothing prevents you from trying it out, and if you are a visually impaired reader, I certainly recommend using it in the city.
