You might think this is a hidden camera used for secret filming but you are wrong.
This is an AI-Integrated Shoe That Helps the Blind Avoid Obstacles
Austrian company Tec-Innovation recently introduced a smart shoe that uses ultrasonic sensors to help blind people detect obstacles up to 4 meters away.
The smart shoe, called InnoMake, aims to be an alternative to the decades-old walking stick, which millions of visually impaired people around the world rely on to get around as safely as possible.
The shoe model is now equipped with sensors that detect obstacles and alert the user through vibration and audio alerts emitted on Bluetooth-connected smartphones.
That sounds impressive! But the company is working on a much more advanced version of the shoe, one that incorporates cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) to not only detect obstacles, but also know what they are.
Tec-Innovation has partnered with Austria’s Graz University to develop advanced learning algorithms that can analyze information from sensors and cameras built into the InnoMake shoe. The shoe can then determine whether an area is free of obstacles and whether it is safe to walk through. It can even distinguish between different types of obstacles.
‘It not only warns me that I’m facing an obstacle, but also what kind of obstacle it is. Knowing whether the obstacle is a wall, a car, or a step makes a big difference,’ says Markus Raffer, one of the founders of Tec-Innovation. Surprisingly, Raffer is also blind.
‘The ultrasonic sensors in the toe of the shoe can detect obstacles up to 4 meters away. The user will be alerted by vibration and audio signals. It works very well and has helped me a lot,’ Mr. Raffer added.
Users can make changes in real time using buttons on the back of the shoe, and the operating range can be increased to 4 meters with the push of a button, according to Tec-Innovation’s website.
‘You can activate smart mode, which automatically pauses when you sit down. You can also use InnoMake as a scanner to collect information about your surroundings through each step,’ the company said.
This innovative system is integrated into the toe of the shoe and is water and dust resistant. It is powered by a super-long-lasting battery that can last up to a week, depending on usage. The battery can be fully charged in 3 hours via USB cable.
Tec-Innovation’s next step is to use the data collected by its system to create a form of omnidirectional navigation map for the visually impaired.
‘At the current stage, only the person wearing the shoe benefits from the data it collects as they walk. It would be better if this data could be used for other people as a navigation aid,’ explains computer scientist Friedrich Fraundorfer.