A software application and system may be configured to enable a smartphone or other device to be used by a visually impaired person to receive voice navigation guidance during a directed exploration of an area. Directed exploration uses combinations of location data, directional data, and orientation data from the configured device to determine a direction that user wishes to explore, and only providing narrated results for streets, businesses, and other points of interest in that direction. The system may also utilize sets of wireless indicators positioned within indoor areas to provide accurate positioning to particular locations and floors within buildings.

Systems and methods provide technology for wayfinding assistance for visually-impaired passengers, including short-range transmitters distributed within a passenger cabin of an aircraft, a transit vehicle or a vessel, each short-range transmitter located proximate to a respective waypoint in the passenger cabin to transmit a signal identifying the respective waypoint in the passenger cabin, and a client application to, responsive to passing within a range of one of the plurality of short-range transmitters, receive a first transmission from the short-range transmitter and emit one or more of a first audible signal or a first haptic signal, based on the first transmission, as wayfinding assistance to a user of the client device. The technology can also include a mid-range transmitter located proximate to a service area in the passenger cabin, to transmit a signal providing at least one of a status of or a location of the service area.

A system and method for providing avatar device status indicators for voice assistants in multi-zone vehicles. The method comprises: receiving at least one signal from a plurality of microphones, wherein each microphone is associated with one of a plurality of spatial zones, and one of a plurality of avatar devices; wherein the at least one signal further comprises a speech signal component from a speaker; wherein the speech signal component is a voice command or question; sending zone information associated with the speaker and with one of the plurality of spatial zones to an avatar; activating one the plurality of avatar devices in a respective one of the plurality of spatial zones associated with the speaker.

The present disclosure provides a method of opening a boarding door of a vehicle that provides use of a trunk room to a passenger reserving the trunk room. The method comprises keeping the boarding door closed until both a first condition and a second condition are satisfied and opening the boarding door or enabling the boarding door to be opened in response to both the first condition and the second condition being satisfied. Here, the first condition is that the passenger is in the vicinity of the boarding door. The second condition is that the trunk door is closed or that a reservation of the trunk room is cancelled.

An on-board computing system for a vehicle is configured to generate and selectively present a set of autonomous-switching directions within a navigation user interface for the operator of the vehicle. The autonomous-switching directions can inform the operator regarding changes to the vehicle's mode of autonomous operation. The on-board computing system can generate the set of autonomy-switching directions based on the vehicle's route and other information associated with the route, such as autonomous operation permissions (AOPs) for route segments that comprise the route. The on-board computing device can selectively present the autonomy-switching directions based on locations associated with anticipated changes in autonomous operations determined for the route of the vehicle, the vehicle's location, and the vehicle's speed. In addition, the on-board computing device is further configured to present audio alerts associated with the autonomy-switching directions to the operator of the vehicle.

Methods and apparatus for spatial audio navigation that may, for example, be implemented by mobile multipurpose devices. A spatial audio navigation system provides navigational information in audio form to direct users to target locations. The system uses directionality of audio played through a binaural audio device to provide navigational cues to the user. A current location, target location, and map information may be input to pathfinding algorithms to determine a real world path between the user's current location and the target location. The system may then use directional audio played through a headset to guide the user on the path from the current location to the target location. The system may implement one or more of several different spatial audio navigation methods to direct a user when following a path using spatial audio-based cues.

A racing coach device stores a first path of travel along a racetrack over a first time period and a second path of travel along the racetrack over a second time period. The racing coach device identifies, for each of a plurality of geolocations along the racetrack, one of the first path of travel or the second path of travel that is associated with a shorter duration of time over which the user traversed a segment of the path of travel associated with each of the plurality of geolocations. The device determines an optimal path of travel along the racetrack based on the identified first and second path of travel for each segment of the path of travel at each of the plurality of geolocations that results in a calculated lap time to traverse the racetrack that is less than the first time period and the second time period.

A system and method for processing directional feedback. A free form path is received at a server from a first directional interface utilized by a user. The free form path is converted to directional feedback. The free form path is aligned to available paths communicated by the first directional interface utilizing mapping information to generate the directional feedback. The directional feedback is sent from the server to one or more directional interfaces utilized by one or more users associated with the first directional interface.

[Object] To provide a new guide method in voice guidance that is capable of coping with even inaccuracy in an obtained user orientation.

[Solving Means] An information processing apparatus according to the present technology includes a control unit. The control unit predicts a user orientation, performs voice guidance that guides a user to a destination on a route to the destination on the basis of the predicted user orientation, calculates a degree of reliability of the user orientation, and switches a method for guiding the user in the voice guidance on the basis of the degree of reliability.

The information processing device provides information relating to a movement of a mobile body. The receiving unit receives an information request. The load determination unit determines a load of a driver with respect to a driving of the mobile body. The voice output unit outputs, in response to the information request, a basic information when the load is large, and an additional information in addition to the basic information when the load is small.