Sensors are capable of converting any shoe into “smart” and warn its user, blind or visually impaired, about the presence of obstacles in their path and how avoid them.
The Tec-Innovation company, in collaboration with the Technical University of Graz (Austria), has developed this innovation that aims to “make people’s lives safer with visual problems ”. The motto of the company is a declaration of intent: “one step ahead.”
The complete system includes a sensor with an LED light, which is located at the tip of each of the shoes , and a pair of buttons on the heels.
The sensors use ultrasound to detect objects and alert the user through vibrations in the shoe itself or with sounds through headphones.
Early warning
The device warns of any obstacle located up to four meters away , although the user can decide how far in advance he wants to be warned.
Thus, for example, on a very busy street ncurrida, you can choose to receive alerts when the obstacle is at a closer distance, such as one meter.
All these adjustments can be made from the buttons of the shoe , or through a mobile application -necessary to use sound alerts -.
” The alerts work like those of cars, the closer you get to the object, the sound or vibrations are faster “, Kevin Pajestka, founder of Tec-Innovation, explains to Efe.
” If the right shoe detects the obstacle, you hear the sound through the right earphone or you feel the vibration in that foot, which means that you can go to the left ”, Pajestka specifies.
The system It has a “smart” function that recognizes when the user has stopped in front of an obstacle -if he stays still for more than three seconds- and stops sending the alert, such as, for example, when it is in a queue.
Finally, the led light is thinking It is suitable for those with reduced visibility, as it can be turned on when there is an obstacle nearby so that users can see it.
European Recognition
For the development of the product, the company tested the prototypes with blind people, the first One of them was one of the company’s partners, Markus Raffer , who has reduced visibility.
“The impression was very good, the customers they even wanted to buy the prototypes ”, says Pajestka.
After five years of work, in September 2020 ‘InnoMake’ obtained European approval that recognizes it as a medical device, which opens the doors to sell it throughout the continent.
“Thus, our customers they can get financing from public institutions or insurance to pay for the product, and since it is a medical device the possibility of being granted it is very high ”, he adds.
The price of the complete product – the shoe with the sensors – is 3, 840 euros, while the sensors cost 4 separately, 000 euros, and, requesting on request that a pair of shoes be adapted to place the sensors are 400 euros.
The pieces are sold separately because the customer can buy only the sensors, which can be used in different shoes, provided they are adapted.
Tec-Innovation offers the possibility of requesting a test equipment free of charge through its website that they send to all of Europe.
Future vision
“There are obstacles that the sensor cannot detect, such as stairs down or holes ”, warns Pajestka.
To solve this problem, the company started in 2016 to develop a camera with artificial intelligence capable of rec o know a “safe area to walk.”
“In case of being in front of a hole, the alert could tell the user to slow down”, he explains, adding that these advances could allow the blind in the future not to need a cane to move on the street.
Although Pajestka mentions that this is only “a vision” because “there are people (blind) who do not want to leave the cane. ”
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