EYECAN® – A No-Infrastructure Indoor AR Navigation Solution

EYECAN® — an AR-based indoor wayfinding solution combining Visual Positioning technology with AR Route Guidance and Indoor Positioning.

ROBO-HI Japan has officially launched an indoor AR navigation service called EYECAN®. The solution is designed for shopping centres, office buildings, train stations, hospitals, factories, and other complex indoor spaces — where GPS signals cannot operate effectively.

3 STANDOUT DIFFERENCES OF EYECAN®

1. No infrastructure construction required

No need to install beacons, Wi-Fi positioning or any other hardware. With just a smartphone, the system can be deployed immediately, delivering significant savings in both initial investment and ongoing maintenance.

2. A completely new navigation experience

EYECAN applies autonomous-driving logic to people.

Smartphone = Sensor (eyes)
User’s footsteps = Actuator (wheels)
EYECAN + ROBO-HI OS = Processing brain

Users simply follow AR guidance overlaid directly on the real-world space — like a "self-driving robot" — and reach their destination accurately without losing their way. This "gamification of movement" not only increases app usage but also significantly improves the customer experience.

3. High accuracy even without GPS

Using VPS (Visual Positioning System), the system matches camera imagery with 3D map data, achieving positioning within an error of just 1–3 metres — even in GPS-denied environments.

Accurate floor detection enables vertical navigation via elevators and escalators — something many traditional navigation apps cannot do well.

HOW EYECAN COMPARES WITH TYPICAL GPS/WI-FI NAVIGATION APPS

(See the comparison table in the original article)

THE REAL-WORLD PROBLEM EYECAN SOLVES

In large complexes, underground shopping centres or major stations, customers failing to find their destination will:

Reduce satisfaction levels
Increase pressure on information desks and security staff
Cause lost revenue when shoppers give up before reaching the store

Traditional solutions such as Wi-Fi positioning or beacons require high installation costs, complex maintenance, and unstable accuracy.

EYECAN offers a brand-new model: "Human Autonomous Navigation" — autonomous navigation for people.

BENEFITS FOR INVESTORS & FACILITY OPERATORS

Cost optimisation:

No need to invest in physical infrastructure. The markers used to build the map (AprilTags) can be removed once data collection is complete, preserving aesthetics and brand image.

Improved customer experience:

Autonomous operation technology — originally developed for robot systems — delivers precise, intuitive wayfinding and dramatically reduces the "getting lost" problem.

Safety & security:

The system does not depend on internal Wi-Fi and does not interfere with existing network infrastructure, making it suitable for office buildings and factories with strict security requirements.

REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS

Shopping centres & department stores: wayfinding to target stores, reducing information-desk load
Train stations & underground areas: clearly displaying complex transfer routes
Office buildings & hospitals: wayfinding to meeting rooms and clinics
Factories & warehouses: supporting movement across large areas