People with poor eyesight or severe memory problems could soon be a lot more streetwise, thanks to the Auditory Location Finder (ALF) being developed by a team at Napier University's Transport Research Institute in Edinburgh. ALF uses short-range radio beacons to put users in contact with a computer centre, which sends them a voice message telling them where they are. The information includes street names, junctions, pedestrian crossings and routes to the nearest bus stop. ALF will also recall the last known whereabouts of somebody who may have gone missing.
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