As technology moves forward, most of the time, its accessibility doesn’t get as much attention as it should. However, that argument is getting weaker and weaker over time thanks to all the positive developments in the world. And one such innovation comes from an Austrian company that has designed a smart shoe that assists blind and visually impaired people in avoiding various obstacles.
Trying to make the world a better place, Tec-Innovation, a start-up medical device manufacturer based in Austria, came up with shoes to help the visually impaired and the blind.
The smart shoe, which is called InnoMake, has a built-in battery, ultrasonic sensors, a processing unit, and a wireless connection to the smartphone, all of which are mounted in a water and dust-resistant casing at the front of the shoes so it is safe in whatever weather
“Ultrasonic sensors on the toe of the shoe detect obstacles up to four meters [13 feet] away,” said Markus Raffer, a founder of Tec-Innovation, who is himself visually impaired. “The wearer is then warned by vibration and/or acoustic signals. This works very well and is already a great help to me personally.”
Tec-Innovation partnered with the Graz University of Technology to develop advanced algorithms that can analyze the information provided by the sensors and cameras whether the vicinity is safe and free from any obstacles. Its intelligent function automatically activates the sensor when walking and pauses when the wearer stopped walking or is sitting.
Tech for good shoes to improve the quality of life for blind people
It has a waterproof ultrasonic sensor attached to the tip of each foot, which sends a signal when an obstacle is nearby through vibrations and noises.
Furthermore, the closer the barriers are, the faster the vibration gets. For even better results, they have added a camera module and a processor that will run the company’s own algorithm to detect obstacles. Plus, there’s an LED light as well that can flash whenever a hurdle is detected.
“Not only is the warning that I am facing an obstacle relevant, but also the information about what kind of obstacle I am facing, because it makes a big difference whether it’s a wall, a car, or a staircase,” says Raffer.
According to AWM:
Right now, Tec-Innovation has only created one version of the “approved medical device.” However, the group plans to take their learnings and innovate on the existing design to make it even better for the next iteration. These forthcoming variations will include camera-based recognition software as well as machine learning to help the wearer navigate their environment even better than the existing version.
“We have developed state-of-the-art deep-learning algorithms modeled on neural networks that can do two main things after detecting and interpreting the content of the image,” said Friedrich Fraundorfer at TU Graz. “They use camera images from the foot perspective to determine an area that is free of obstacles and thus safe to walk on, and they can recognize and distinguish objects.”
The scientists even hope to create a type of “street view navigation map” with the shoes.
“As it currently stands, only the wearer benefits in each case from the data the shoe collects as he or she walks,” said Fraundorfer. “It would be much more sustainable if this data could also be made available to other people as a navigation aid.”
Watch the video below for more details:
Source: AWM