Scientists from IBM Research and Carnegie Mellon University today announced the first open platform designed to support the creation of smartphone apps that can enable the blind to better navigate their surroundings. The IBM and CMU researchers used the platform to create a pilot app, called NavCog, that draws on existing sensors and cognitive technologies to inform blind people on the CMU campus about their surroundings by “whispering” into their ears through earbuds or by creating vibrations on smartphones. The app analyzes signals from Bluetooth beacons located along walkways and from smartphone sensors to help enable users to move without human assistance, whether inside campus buildings or outdoors. Researchers are exploring additional capabilities for future versions of the app to detect who is approaching and what is their mood. NavCog is now available online and will soon be available at no cost on the App Store. The app analyzes signals from Bluetooth beacons located along walkways and from smartphone sensors to help enable users to move without human assistance, whether inside campus buildings or outdoors. To read further, please visit http://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2015/october/blind-navigation-app.html.