Imagine a society in which blind people can wear shoes to help them avoid obstacles while they walk. This is now possible, though, because of a ground-breaking sneaker called InnoMake that was created by computer experts in Austria. The sneaker, which costs more than $3,000, was developed in partnership with Graz University of Technology and the Austrian company Tec-Innovation.
How then does InnoMake function? Every shoe has a waterproof ultrasonic sensor on the toe that can identify objects up to thirteen feet away. Similar to parking sensors in cars, the wearer is warned when they get closer to an object by vibrations and sounds. It keeps you secure and conscious of your surroundings, almost like having your very own personal guide.
However, what distinguishes InnoMake is its capacity to recognize the type of impediments in addition to detecting them. InnoMake has the ability to distinguish between objects, such as a wall, a car, or a flight of stairs, and can send out personalized alerts. It’s very amazing how accurate and detailed this is.
Co-founder of Tec-Innovation and visually challenged Markus Raffer attests to the usefulness of InnoMake, saying, “This works very well and is already a great help to me personally.” These shoes have the ability to completely change the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired by providing them with a renewed sense of security and independence.
However, the creativity doesn’t end there. Tec-Innovation intends to add machine learning and camera-based recognition to InnoMake to further improve its design. This would elevate navigational aid to a new degree. Just picture having a “street view navigation map” at your feet that leads the route each step of the way.
“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,” TU Graz’s Friedrich Fraundorfer said. With these technological developments, InnoMake will keep developing and offer even greater navigation support.
For the blind, InnoMake is a game-changer—it’s more than just a pair of shoes. It gives people the ability to move through their environment more safely and independently. InnoMake is changing the world to be a more welcoming environment for all people with every stride.