App&Town Compagnon, people with disability can travel independently on public transport

admin on 19 July 2018

Foto: Unsplash

The technological company Mass Factory in collaboration with the Foundation AMPANS and the Foundation Saint Pere Claver has developed App&Town Compagnon, a transport-assisted system for people with intellectual disability, mental illness, or memory dysfunctions, that allows them to safely use public transportation, with precise guidance provided by a mobile app, and continuous monitoring by means of a Web App in the cloud. App&Town Compagnon conforms to the Smart City Concept, improvement citizens’ quality of life through use of technology.

App&Town Compagnon is a customized transport assisted system which is adaptable to the abilities of each user. The system includes: route-planning, guidance, and remote monitoring. App&Town Compagnon is a tool that improves social inclusion, mobility, and self-esteem of its users.

In 2018 Apps&Town Compagnon won the Technology Innovation Red Cross Humanitarian Award.

Characteristics of innovation

Bank of innovations, Disability, Fully inclusive cities, Independent living, Lab, Link with the community, New service, New technological tool, Personalization of the service, User empowerment

Location

Bages Region, Barcelona, Madrid (Spain); Laval and Longueuil (Canada)

Partners / Funders

Fundació Sant Pere Claver, Fundació ONCE, STL, Smart Columbus

Genesis

Mass Factory, a spin-off of “Universitat autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)”, was founded in 2012 as a result of project developed by eight Computer Engineering students under the direction of Prof. Jordi Roig. The mobile app which was developed “OnTheBus”, now called “App&Town Going with you”, is the first commercial product of the company.

The original “OnTheBus”, is a free app for Android that allows planning urban routes, either by walking or by bus and has two distinctive characteristics:

Universal Design that facilitates its use by most of the people
An extremely precise navigational algorithm which may be used by persons with visual disability

Implementation level

In Bages Region (Spain) there are 17 intellectually impaired users
In Barcelona there are more than 50 users that include, intellectually or visually impaired people, people with mental disorders as well as senior citizens with memory deficiencies
In Madrid there are 10 users with Down syndrome
In Laval and Longueil, Canada, there are 70 users with intellectual impairment and developmental disorders

Further information

Propose your innovation

See our selection of innovations

Banc d’innovacions

Audivers 360º, immersive reality speech therapy for individuals with hearing impairment

Audivers 360º is a pioneering speech therapy project with immersive reality, aimed at children and adults with hearing loss.

Usuària utilitzant l'aplicació eRueca amb el mòbil

e-Rueca, a virtual support for citizens at risk of exclusion

e-Rueca is a virtual social center that provides information, guidance, and support to individuals in situations of social exclusion through a multi-channel online connection.

Projecte e-Fabrik - Joves col·laboren amb persones amb discapacitat per crear ajuts funcionals

E-Fabrik, innovative and solidarity solutions for people with disabilities

E-Fabrik is an innovative initiative that brings together young people and individuals with disabilities in a creative community with the aim of jointly conceiving solutions to address the challenges faced by people with disabilities in their daily lives.

Imatge d'una habitant del projecte Llar Casa Bloc a l'entrada de l'edifici.

Llar Casa Bloc, Social Housing and Support for Empowering Individuals in Vulnerable Situations

“Llar casa bloc” is a social housing network project promoted by Hàbitat3, providing social support and technological resources to promote autonomy and empowerment among its residents.

Case Compass, social services case management toolkit

Vangin, integration of social services into a single citizen portal

SmartNav4, mouse for using the computer with complete autonomy

admin on 17 July 2018

Mouse that allows autonomous navigation for people with ALS

SmartNav4 is the fourth generation of a mouse that facilitates computer use for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and other conditions that reduce mobility.

With the integrated Dwell Clicking software and a free on-screen keyboard created by Lake Software, SmartNav4 works using a small sticker made of reflective material that can be placed anywhere on the face and a sensor located above the screen. By moving the head, the computer pointer can be controlled without the need to use hands. To click, simply stop on a specific target for a configurable amount of time.

This way, the movement required to operate the mouse is minimal compared to other accessories that place a heavy load on different parts of the body, such as the wrist. People with ALS can thus write emails, respond to WhatsApp messages, and perform any action on the computer completely autonomously.