OKO
by Polara Engineering (Synapse ITS) · US
Points your phone's camera at a pedestrian crossing signal and tells you when it's safe to cross
What it is
OKO is an iPhone app that uses the phone's camera and on-device AI to detect the state of a pedestrian crossing signal — walk, don't-walk, and countdown — and communicates it to a blind or low-vision user through audio, haptic and high-contrast visual cues. It also provides turn-by-turn walking directions and identifies the type of intersection ahead (signalized, uncontrolled, roundabout). The app was originally built and marketed by AYES Inc.; in July 2025 it was acquired by Synapse ITS, the parent company of Polara — a longstanding manufacturer of physical Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) hardware — and relaunched as a free app under the same OKO name and branding.
Who this helps, and how
Reads a pedestrian crossing signal through the phone camera at intersections with no audible signal installed
Purpose-built — Designed as assistive technology Blind & Low Vision Blindness / no functional vision Low vision / partial sightWhat people say
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