CurbToCar vs EchoScape

CurbToCar helps blind and low-vision users quickly and confidently find their rides using only their phone’s camera. Whether you’re meeting a rideshare, or a friend’s car, CurbToCar removes the guesswork between the curb and the car. CurbToCar was built for the last 10 feet. With smart computer vision and sound guidance, getting to your ride becomes faster, safer, and more independent. Co-designed with Eric Santana + co-designers through the MIT Assistive Tech Club, CurbToCar was built from the ground up around accessibility, clarity, and independence. How it works Point your phone toward the pick-up area and CurbToCar uses object detection and real-time tracking to locate vehicles. With continuous audio feedback and distance estimation, the app guides you toward your car, helping you navigate without relying on sighted assistance. Our favorite thing is user feedback, so please feel free to reach out at any time with questions or suggestions!

EchoScape is a mobility assistant app built for blind and low-vision users: while you follow the navigation, it watches the road at the same time — detecting the real positions of objects around you in real time and announcing them through spatial audio from the direction they are in. It also judges which side of the path is walkable, and whether hanging obstacles at upper-body height (signposts, tree branches, protruding steel poles) pose a collision risk. 【Three Core Capabilities】 ◆ Navigate and avoid obstacles at the same time Full voice navigation (turn prompts, distance announcements, off-route correction) never pauses, and environmental awareness never goes missing. Navigation handles "where to go"; obstacle avoidance handles "how to get there safely." ◆ On-demand scene description, in and out in a tap Walking smoothly and something blocks your way? Tap once to enter scene description: it first tells you the current street, your facing direction and nearby landmarks, then describes exactly what is ahead of the camera — construction, a barrier fence, or actually a clear way on the left. When you are done, it exits and returns to navigation. ◆ Voice route book, smarter with every walk Map-planned routes are not always suitable for blind pedestrians, but a route you have walked yourself will always get you there. Save your frequent routes, and each walk can correct and upgrade them — gaps in railings, temporary construction, difficult steps: mark them yourself, and they are announced automatically next time you pass. The better you know the route, the more precise it becomes. 【More Features】 · Spatial audio: stereo feedback for target direction and distance — locate things by sound · Traffic light and crosswalk awareness: know the light state from afar, hear about crosswalks as you approach intersections, and switch to roadside object announcements after crossing · Head gesture control: with supported AirPods models, a nod or a head shake operates the app; pair with a neck or chest mount to keep the camera steadily facing forward · Multilingual accessibility: localized in 14 languages, deeply optimized for VoiceOver, with route details you can swipe through item by item and listen · Privacy and offline: core perception can run entirely on device; scene description works instantly from the cloud, or download a local model for offline use 【Recommended Scenarios】 · Daily commuting: record the route home once, then follow it with peace of mind every day · Going to appointments alone: save the route the first time you arrive, and every walk after gets smoother · Exploring unfamiliar neighborhoods: scene description plus directional audio — hear the world around you 【Important Notice】 EchoScape is a mobility assistance tool. It cannot replace a white cane, a guide dog, assistance from others, or professional orientation and mobility training. Always combine it with careful judgment of your real surroundings.