[fcb-l] Footware for the Blind

[Sherri]

Fascinating, but nothing will replace the cane or the guide dog.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Patricia A. Lipovsky
To: fcb-l at acb.org
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 6:56 PM
Subject: Re: [fcb-l] Footware for the Blind


Interesting.  Thanks Don.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Don Moore" <don.moore48 at comcast.net>
To: "New York Institute Alumni List" <nyi-l at donaldmoore.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 2:58 PM
Subject: [fcb-l] Footware for the Blind


> Footwear for the Blind: Bluetooth shoes
>
> The Economist JUL 14 2012, 9:09 by A.
>
> A.K.  tilde Mumbai
>
> MORE than 285m people across the globe suffer from visual impairment.
>
> Yet the tools to assist the blind in walking have changed little since the
> 1920's, when their canes started being painted white to make other
> pedestrians more aware of their presence.  The gizmos that do exist have
> tended to be expensive and clunky, and have not caught on.  This may
> change
> if Anirudh Sharma, a 24-year-old computer engineer from Hyderabad, a city
> in
> the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, has his way.
>
> His innovation, dubbed "Le Chal" ("take me along" in Hindi) pairs a
> smartphone app with a small actuator sewn inside the sole of one shoe via
> Bluetooth.  The user tells the phone his desired destination, which is
> translated into electronic commands using voice-recognition software.  The
> app, which can be programmed to run in the background, fetches the local
> map
> of the area.  The phone's Global Positioning System (GPS) tracks the
> person's location in real-time, telling the actuator to vibrate when it is
> time to turn.  The side of the shoe where the vibration is felt indicates
> which way to go.  Mr Sharma opted for a vibrating signal because for the
> blind, who rely on their sense of hearing to make sense of the
> environment,
> audio feedback is a distraction.
>
> The system does not require constant internet access.  Once downloaded,
> maps
> can be stored locally and combined with GPS data.  The app uses Open
> Street
> Maps (OSM), an open-source rival to Google Maps.  OSM allows editing, a
> helpful feature in updating rapidly changing urban landscapes.  A
> speed-dial
> function can rapidly retrieve the most frequently visited routes.
>
> The shoe pod is also equipped with an obstacle-detection mechanism.  A
> sensor in the tip of the shoe, devised by Mr Sharma's business partner,
> Krispian Lawrence, scans the vicinity using sonar, which emits ultrasounds
> that bounce off obstacles, indicating their presence.  The shoe sets off a
> distinct pattern of vibrations to alert the person of any obstruction and
> guides him around it.
>
> For now, the footwear, being tested at the L.V.  Prasad Eye Institute, one
> of India's biggest eye-health facilities, may be most useful in areas with
> little or no traffic, such as quiet residential streets or parks.  The
> challenge, Mr Lawrence says, is to get the algorithm to tell an uncovered
> manhole from a flight of stairs, but he expects it to be able to do so in
> due course.  Dealing with moving obstacles like cars may take longer,
> though
> the pair are working on ways to alert wearers not just about cars'
> presence,
> but also their speed.
>
> To ensure that the final product resembles a regular shoe, fashion
> technologists are being consulted to help with ergonomics and design.
>
> Mr Sharma and Mr Lawrence, who started a company called Ducere
> Technologies
> to commercialise their idea, say their high-tech brogues should not cost
> more than an ordinary, stylish pair. Many of the world's visually impaired
> will like the sound of that.
>
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