Achilles International and Google Partner on Project Guideline
RESEARCH TO HELP THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED RUN INDEPENDENTLY
At Achilles International, we know the transformative power a guide can have on an athlete living with a disability. Now, we are working to uncover the power of a guideline. We are pleased to announce our partnership with Google on Project Guideline. The early stage technology leverages on-device machine learning to allow persons who are blind or living with low vision to use a mobile phone, headphones, and a guideline painted on the ground to independently walk and run for exercise.
"Achilles International is proud to partner with Google and the Riverside Park Conservancy. By working together to test this innovative, early stage technology, we can break down barriers to the start line for the disability community and make running more accessible and inclusive,” says Emily Glasser, President and CEO, Achilles International.
In September, ten Achilles athletes, including Francesco Magisano, Director of Achilles’ NYC Metro Region, tested the technology in Riverside Park with members of the Google team. Each athlete provided valuable feedback after their test walks and runs on everything from the audio navigation to the ease of use.
Achilles athlete and marathoner Alison Lynch lives with achromatopsia which can involve blindness in direct sunlight and absence of color vision.
“Without Project Guideline today, I wouldn’t have been able to run at that pace or settle into it,” she said.
Video of Achilles NYC athlete Alison Lynch on a test run with Google Project Guideline in Riverside Park, New York.
For Adam Linn, it felt good, but he recognized it would take time to nail down the sound prompts, especially on the turns.
“When it told me I was drifting, it seemed easy enough to correct,” he added.
“It would feel freeing in a lot of ways. I could see how I could get used to it,” said Achilles triathlete Eliza Cooper, who is blind.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, over one million Americans are blind, and over 3.2 million have a vision impairment. Vision loss often causes decreases in physical health and mental health. This research of experimental tech has the potential to open doors for the disability community and provide more independence.
We applaud Google Project Guideline for working alongside the experts: athletes living with blindness or low vision. Achilles International will work with Google on additional testing sessions with 20 chapters across the country throughout the year.
