Accessible Cam: Mapping Evansville for Mobility and Safety

The Evansville, IN Accessible Cam project is a new initiative through Circular Venture Lab designed to bring awareness to sidewalk and path accessibility issues throughout our city. Accessible Cam provides a comprehensive, street-level view of the challenges faced by pedestrians using wheelchairs and walkers, new mothers using strollers, and others navigating Evansville sidewalks and paths. It also highlights areas of the region, including neighborhoods, parks, and attractions that are most accessible for residents and visitors to enjoy.

Behind The Technology

Accessible Cam is led by Cameron "Cam" Jenkins, an incoming UE 2029 Freshman. Cam uses a specially outfitted jogging stroller to capture the reality of the city's sidewalks. The stroller is mounted with 360-degree cameras to help visualize a complete view of the path and surroundings, and a high-definition microphone to record ambient noise. A sound level meter documents noise disturbances while GPS tracks the route and obstacles encountered.

Cam walks the equipped stroller along city streets and paths, with the cameras catching common and potentially dangerous obstructions pedestrians may face. These include scooters blocking the curb cuts, broken or uneven pavement sections, potholes, trees and bushes blocking access, and even cars partially parked on sidewalks. Simultaneously, the microphone captures ambient vehicle noise and construction sounds, sometimes at potentially dangerous decibel levels.

Using VR to Bring the Streets to Life

Once a section of the city is captured, the video and sound footage are edited and uploaded to a virtual reality (VR) software system. Then, after putting on a VR headset, users can step into a fully immersive, 3D map of specific recorded areas. This unique experience allows residents, city employees, and advocates for safer streets to better understand the challenges that a person with a disability, an elderly person, or a new mother pushing a stroller might face while simply trying to walk the city streets.

The Possibilities Ahead

The Accessible Cam project has identified areas for growth and expansion through partnerships and collaborations with multiple organizations across the region. Circular Venture Lab, who has been awarded multiple recent grants and prizes in partnership with the University of Evansville, sees opportunities to work with their interdisciplinary students and faculty across campus. The UE Engineering Department will assist in interpretation of the data collected through machine learning and AI efforts. As part of a larger collaboration with UE, the City of Evansville, and the Evansville Trails Coalition, the team will consistently share and report its findings with city officials and other stakeholders. Additionally, there will be opportunities to work with students, teachers, residents, and partners of UE’s Evansville Promise Neighborhood.

You can expect to see the camera-equipped stroller on the streets of Evansville starting in early 2026. The Accessible Cam website and social channels will be live and active by the end of this year. For additional details and partnership opportunities, please contact Circular Venture Lab.