Google has added another notch to their growing list under their charity organization - Google.org. The said org has just invested in Wayfindr for a total of $1 million USD. The said non-profit start-up company aims to set the first ever standardized guidelines for using smartphones on steering visually impaired people while in urban environments.

The start-up company's technology is now undergoing a full scale trial at a major British transportation hub: the London Underground's Euston Station. How does the trial work? It basically involves participants going through Euston while being guided with audio directions that they can hear through headphones.

The directions are being relayed to a prototype smartphone app that is communicating with beacons that are dotted around the station. The trial is the next step or the next level to an earlier small test this year in Pimlico Station.

London Underground Capital Programs Director, David Waboso, said that this innovative project is all about being able to give their visually impaired customers the flexibility to travel with the same independence and spontaneity like everyone else.

Wayfindr's original goal was to create a stand-alone app, but through the trials and feedbacks they have undergone, the team at Ustwo saw the potential or the value of having their technology incorporated into many locations, site specific apps for public transportation systems and navigation based services that is already existing. Some examples of this are the Google Maps and Citymapper.

Wayfindr has established as their own company and is working on creating an open standard navigation for the visually impaired. The standard aims to give the location owners and digital navigation systems makers, the tools and guidelines on building the technology into their own apps directly. The goal here is to be able to provide a reliable technology that can be easily installed in different transportation systems and/or indoor venues like shopping malls, arenas, hospitals, and etc.

According to Wayfindr Chief Executive, Umesh Pandya, the standard will also include language related information like what should be said in situations to make the user's experience consistent and reliable. This will also help the location owners know whether a Bluetooth or a Wi-Fi connection is the right technology for their place.

The London-based start-up hopes to use the results from their Euston trial to launch their first Wayfindr Standard by in the earlier months of 2016. The donation it got from Google will be used to expand the trials they are conducting into new environments and accelerate their progress.

Google UK Managing Director, Eileen Naughton, said in a statement that the hope with this project is to be able to support the mobility and movement through the innovations in technology. Pandya also adds that though this technology is mainly aimed for the empowerment of the visually impaired, it could in the future also benefit other individuals who are trying to find their way within a complex indoor environment.