Coco Robotics and BlindSquare Partner to Share Sidewalk Obstacle Data

Coco Robotics and BlindSquare have announced a partnership to share real time sidewalk obstacle data across their platforms, according to a press release. The collaboration is designed to enhance safety and accessibility for blind, deafblind, and mobility limited pedestrians.

As Coco's delivery robots travel city sidewalks, they detect and log hazards such as misparked scooters, construction zones, and other obstructions. This information is transmitted to BlindSquare's self-voicing app, which alerts users with audio warnings before they reach the obstacle. The integration will roll out in all cities where Coco operates, including Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, Jersey City, Helsinki, and Turku.

The system records each obstacle's type and estimated duration, converting the data into spoken alerts delivered through BlindSquare's text-to-speech engine in 26 languages. Users receive an audio warning approximately ten meters before an obstacle. The companies are exploring a two-way data exchange that would allow BlindSquare users to confirm when an obstacle has been cleared.

The project is partly funded by a European Union grant and was initiated through Forum Virium Helsinki, the City of Helsinki's innovation arm. The collaboration aims to expand the use of sidewalk condition data to improve urban accessibility and infrastructure management.