New app enables hearing-impaired taxi drivers in S. Korea
The technology helps ease passengers' concerns that a driver's inability to hear may pose a safety risk on the busy roads of Seoul.
KOREA (Reuters) - A software program has made it possible for hearing-impaired taxi drivers to take to roads in Seoul, capital of South Korea.
Lee Dae-ho became one of the first deaf taxi drivers in the city last year. Lee has profound hearing loss and cannot hear even when using hearing aids.
The communication-aiding technology developed by a local start-up called Coactus has been of great help to drivers like Lee.
To ensure clear communication between the driver and the passengers, two tablets are installed in the taxi: one facing the back seat, and the other next to the driver. Passengers can indicate their required destinations by speaking, writing or typing the information using the interface.
Each tablet has the "Goyohan Taxi" application installed, and "Goyohan" in the Korean language translates to "silent" in English.
The technology helps ease passengers concerns that a driver s inability to hear may pose a safety risk on the busy roads of Seoul.
"I was very nervous when I got on the taxi, but later I found he is more focused on driving than ordinary drivers. When I was thinking about how can I tell the driver that I wanted to get off, the tablet gave an audio cue and then I got off. There is no difference from other taxis," said a passenger.
Support equipment for safe driving, including microphone sensing unit for distance, is also installed on the taxi. The equipment can recognize sirens of police car, ambulance and firefighting truck and transmits the information through both images and vibrations on steering wheel.
"The equipment can reduce sensory stress and fatigue of people with hearing impairments and identify different sounds accurately," said Lee Hyung-hyun, researcher with Hyundai Motor.
