Award-Winning Assistive Technology: Oko - Revolutionizing Navigation for the Visually Impaired
Oko, the groundbreaking AI-powered app, empowers those with visual impairments to navigate their surroundings safely and independently.
Brothers Michiel and Vincent Janssen, along with their co-founder Willem Van de Mierop, created Oko to address the challenges faced by their visually impaired friend. Their innovative solution leverages the power of artificial intelligence and extensive field-testing to provide a transformative experience for users who are blind or have low vision.
"If cars can drive autonomously at 60 mph, we should be able to help our visually impaired friend walk around his neighborhood," Vincent Janssen recounts Michiel's inspiring vision that led to the creation of Oko.
The Oko app helps those with visual impairments safely cross busy intersections by providing real-time feedback through haptics, audio cues, and color cues. Its AI models run locally on the user's iPhone, eliminating the need for a stable internet connection.
The team spent three months extensively testing the Oko app with a focus group of 100 individuals who are blind or have low vision. This user-centric approach allowed them to identify and address a key design flaw - the initial landscape-only orientation was challenging for users, leading the team to revamp the interface to support portrait mode as well.
The impact of Oko on the lives of its users has been profound, as exemplified by the feedback from the friend who inspired the app's creation. "Inadvertent jaywalking is a thing of the past," he says, highlighting the transformative effect of this assistive technology.
Enhancing the Oko Experience: New Features and Integrations
The latest version of Oko further enhances the user experience with its new Apple Maps integration. Users can now view the number of steps to their destination, receive turn-by-turn directions, and be alerted when approaching a street crossing. Additionally, they can save favorite locations, such as nearby cafés and grocery stores, for quick access.
Oko: A Journey of Innovation and Dedication
The Oko app is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of its creators, the Janssen brothers and Willem Van de Mierop. Despite having no prior app development experience, they managed to build the first version of Oko in just eight weeks, gathering extensive training data through tireless fieldwork in various weather conditions.
