To maintain the beacon system is not that cheap. Beacons are life beacons that needs power source. In a big building, the number of beacons used is staggering. There are ways and means of using other technologies to provide navigational needs for the Visual Handicapped. Below is one which I think is viable.
RFID has been in the market for decades already. Passive RFID is just a piece of paper attached with a tiny chip and an antenna. It is very cheap and can be bough in bulk. Each RFID is unique. Therefore, if you are near enough with a reader, you could know which RFID is near you.
Firstly, you need to lay breadcrumb (RFID) trails on every path in the building. A mapping of each RFID and nearby POI (point of interest) is necessary for navigation. The breadcrumbs should be spaced at a fixed distance apart. Ideally, at every junction, a breadcrumb should be right in the center of it.
User using RFID reader could then able to read the breadcrumbs as he/she walks along the path. By limiting the range to just able to read at least 2 breadcrumbs, The system will be able to know which direction the user is moving since the last one will drop off and new ones will appear. With the mapping, you can then tell the direction of movement.
At junctions, user should be informed that there are branches and alert user on the possible direction and POI. User can then make a decision to move to the specific direction.
The app can be in a form of a map of the building with blinking dots to show current user position and with voice assistance for Visual Handicapped to use. It will have a list of POI to assist users. It will be good to have a search function that finds the nearest point matching the search string like "exit". A highlighted path to the search string, like map navigation, will be helpful.
Since passive RFID is cheap and need no power, it is just a install and forget type. Any missing RFID can be replaced with the same ID. It is, therefore, simple and cheap to maintain such a system.
Now the expensive part is the RFID reader. It needs to be Wi-Fi enabled so that it can be integrated with hand phone app. The app has to be custom designed to use it as navigation system. All these costs eats into user's budget. However, it reduces the cost of building owners so that they will be more willing to invest in the infrastructure. With many building owners willing to install the system, the cost of the application can then be reduced thus lessens the financial burden of users.
Since this navigation can be used for sighted, it becomes universal navigational system thus further reduces the costs. It is a win-win situation.
This system need not to be indoors only. Outdoor place like parks can install such system using weather proof containers for the RFID. It can even be used for temporary venues like a carnival. The uses are multiple.
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