Insider Brief
- Coco Robotics has partnered with BlindSquare to share real-time sidewalk obstacle data, allowing its delivery robots to feed hazard information into an accessibility app for visually impaired and mobility-limited pedestrians across U.S. and European cities, including Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, Jersey City, Helsinki and Turku.
- Coco’s robots log obstacles with classification and estimated duration and transmit that data to BlindSquare, which converts it into audio alerts delivered about 10 meters in advance through a text-to-speech system supporting 26 languages, with plans to enable two-way updates from users to keep maps current.
- The partnership is partially funded by a European Union grant, builds on prior Helsinki deployments and reflects a broader effort to use real-time operational data from autonomous systems to support accessibility and urban infrastructure planning.
Coco Robotics announced it has partnered with BlindSquare to share real-time sidewalk obstacle data, allowing its delivery robots to feed hazard information into an accessibility app used by blind, visually impaired and mobility-limited pedestrians. The integration will deploy across Coco’s operating markets in the U.S. and Europe, including Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and Jersey City, plus Helsinki and Turku in Finland
When a Coco robot encounters an obstacle, it logs the hazard, including its classification and estimated duration, and transmits that data to BlindSquare’s system. BlindSquare then converts the information into spoken alerts delivered through its self-voicing app, using a text-to-speech engine that supports 26 languages.
Users approaching a disrupted section of sidewalk receive an audio warning roughly 10 meters in advance, giving them time to adjust their route. The companies are also exploring a two-way data exchange that would allow BlindSquare users to confirm when obstacles have been cleared, helping keep Coco’s mapping data up to date.
Coco Robotics said the partnership reflects their commitment to responsible deployment.
“Coco’s robots are already collecting real-time data about city sidewalks,” Carl Hansen, Vice President of Government Relations at Coco Robotics, said in statement. “With this integration, that data can directly improve safety for some of the most vulnerable pedestrians. We see this as a model for how autonomous systems and accessibility tools can work together to create smarter, safer cities.”
The partnership is partially funded by a European Union grant and builds on earlier work in Helsinki to map sidewalk conditions in real time. Coco Robotics said the initiative reflects a broader push to use operational data from autonomous systems to support accessibility and urban infrastructure planning.
“By enabling this data to also support applications like BlindSquare, it demonstrates how cities can both enhance infrastructure and improve navigation for residents, particularly those who are blind, visually impaired, or have mobility challenges,” noted Sami Sahala, Senior Expert at Forum Virium Helsinki. “Access to real-time, street-level data from autonomous systems like Coco Robotics gives cities new visibility into what’s happening on sidewalks and opens up opportunities to create safer, more responsive public infrastructure and more efficient traffic management in the City of Helsinki.”
