A new GPS navigation device for the blind that uses the European Space Agency’s system of geostationary satellites to improve the accuracy of GPS in cities to within a few meters. Being off by fifteen or twenty meters isn’t such a big deal while driving in a car, but for a blind person trying to find their way around town that level of inaccuracy (which is apparently worse in cities because of obstacles like tall buildings which impede the GPS signal) is a real problem. The TORMES GPS receiver has a Braille keyboard, a voice synthesizer which can tell users what buildings and intersections they’re near, and GPRS for connecting to the Internet.
