Blind engineer ushers in ‘virtual vision’ system; Technology behind iBeacon could revolutionize ability to navigate indoor spaces

Christopher Reynolds Toronto Star, August 14, 2015
A blind computer software engineer from Toronto is giving eyes to those who can’t see. David Best, a former IBM web developer, has just helped usher in the first pilot system in Canada created specifically to help visually impaired people – nearly 200,000 in Ontario alone – navigate the indoors. A network of iBeacons launched last month inside the headquarters of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) in north Toronto could, Best believes, sweep aside travel barriers, boost blind independence and open up worlds beyond the tip of the cane.