AI accessibility tools have quietly become some of the more practical uses of the technology. We have already seen smartphones help visually impaired users find nearby objects and smart glasses connect them with people who can describe what is happening around them. Harvard researchers are now taking that idea further with an app built specifically around navigation.
Called Mobilio, the app uses a smartphone’s camera, GPS, motion sensors, and LiDAR when available to help blind and low-vision users follow routes, stay on walkable paths, and avoid obstacles. Researchers at Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences developed the system after surveying more than 100 blind and low-vision people about what they actually wanted from navigation technology.
Early testing is promising. In a study involving 14 participants, Mobilio paired with a white cane helped users complete an outdoor route about 13% faster than Google Maps with a cane. On an indoor course, contact with obstacles dropped by roughly 41%.
How Mobilio turns a smartphone into a walking guide
Traditional navigation apps can tell someone when to turn, but that information alone is not particularly useful when safely following a sidewalk or avoiding something directly ahead.
Mobilio continuously analyzes the surroundings through the phone’s camera while GPS and motion sensors keep track of movement. Directional beeps tell users where to steer, and the system can adjust those cues based on how each person responds to them.
The researchers also trained its computer-vision model from a pedestrian perspective, since many existing street datasets are captured from vehicles and are not particularly useful for understanding sidewalks, crosswalks, and other areas people actually walk through.
AI is finding a genuinely useful accessibility role
This is not the first time we have seen AI tackle these problems. Penn State’s NaviSense uses a smartphone to help visually impaired users locate specific objects through sound and vibration, while Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have been paired with Be My Eyes to let remote volunteers guide blind users through their surroundings.
Mobilio focuses on the journey itself, using the phone as a continuous navigation aid rather than simply identifying what is nearby. The technology is still experimental, and 14 participants is a small initial study. Harvard now plans wider testing around Boston while exploring how Mobilio could eventually move beyond the research stage.