A team of computer scientists from Austria has created a shoe that can help blind people avoid obstacles while walking. The InnoMake shoes, which would cost more than $3,000 a pair, could have a lasting impact on the blind by helping them navigate the world around them without hitting objects or bumping into things. The new product was invented by tec-Innovation, an Austrian company, and also received support from the Graz University of Technology to make sure it worked well.
Each shoe is outfitted with an ultrasonic sensor that warns the user to objects in their path. When someone is walking towards something dangerous, the sensors on the front of the shoes vibrate and make noises as a warning. The vibration gets stronger as the person approaches an item. This is similar technology used by parking sensors installed in most new cars.
“Ultrasonic sensors on the toe of the shoe detect obstacles up to four meters [13 feet] away,” said Markus Raffer, a founding member of Tec-Innovation who is blind. “The wearer is then warned by vibration and/or acoustic signals. This works very well and is already a great help to me personally.”
At a high price, people can purchase one sensor per foot. The sensors come with either a new pair of shoes or installation for an existing pair. Also included is a USB cable to charge the shoes when they’re not in use.
The sensors combine two pieces of information to deliver the user with more detailed information about their surroundings. Sensors are used to determine if anything is obstructing the path and to utilize the technology to identify the object’s kind. The intelligent shoes for the blind can also determine if there is a hole in the ground or steps leading down or up, providing distinct alerts depending on whether they go downward or upward.
“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,” stated Raffer.
Tec-Innovation is currently in the process of designing an improved version of their “approved medical device” that will include features such as camera-based recognition software and machine learning. These additions will help make the device, even more, user friendly and effective than the current model.
“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. “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 researchers also aim to develop a “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,” stated Fraundorfer. “It would be much more sustainable if this data could also be made available to other people as a navigation aid.”
