[access-uk] Re: Now this is real inuvation! enjoy.
- From: Saqib Hussain <saqibh23@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:23:59 +0100
Hi Steve. Indeed they may even look like wellies. How ugly is that in
the height of the British summer.
On 19/07/2012, Steve Nutt <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hi,
>
>
>
> Depends on how stylish the shoes are. They'd probably make you look like
> R2D2. Most blindie products are pretty ugly, so the shoes probably won't
> be
> an exception <Smile>.
>
>
>
> All the best
>
>
>
> Steve
>
>
>
> --
>
> Computer Room Services
>
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>
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> Tel: 01438-742286
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> Email: steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
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>
>
> From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
> Ibrahim Gucukoglu
> Sent: 18 July 2012 05:38
> To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [access-uk] Now this is real inuvation! enjoy.
>
>
>
> Footwear for the Blind: Bluetooth shoes
>
> The Economist
> <http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/07/footwear-blind>
> http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/07/footwear-blind
>
> JUL 14 2012, 9:09 by A.A.K. ~ Mumbai
>
> MORE than 285 million people across the globe suffer from visual
> impairment.
>
> Yet the tools to assist the blind in walking have changed little since the
> 1920s, 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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