Here’s What You Need To Know If You See Someone Wearing Shoes
A team of computer scientists from Austria has pioneered a groundbreaking shoe called InnoMake, designed to aid blind individuals in navigating obstacles while walking. The development of these innovative shoes, priced at $3,000 or more, was a collaborative effort between Tec-Innovation, an Austrian company, and Graz University of Technology.
InnoMake is equipped with a waterproof ultrasonic sensor located on the toe of each shoe, enabling it to detect obstacles up to 13 feet away. As the wearer approaches objects, vibrations and sounds are triggered to alert them. This technology bears resemblance to the parking sensors commonly found in vehicles.
Markus Raffer, the visually impaired co-founder of Tec-Innovation, emphasized the effectiveness of the technology, stating, “This works very well and is already a great help to me personally.” Each shoe is equipped with its dedicated sensor, available either as a complete shoe or as a retrofit option. These sensors possess the capability to identify the nature of objects, distinguishing between walls, cars, or stairs, and providing tailored alerts accordingly.
Tec-Innovation has plans to further refine the design of InnoMake by integrating camera-based recognition and machine learning algorithms to enhance navigation assistance. Future iterations of the technology may include a “street view navigation map” to assist a broader range of users.
Friedrich Fraundorfer from TU Graz explained, “They utilize camera images from the foot perspective to identify an obstacle-free area, ensuring safe navigation, and are capable of recognizing and distinguishing various objects.”
InnoMake carries the promise of revolutionizing the lives of visually impaired individuals, granting them greater independence and safety in navigating their environment.
