'Seeing shoes' and sonic glasses offer blind a way forward
Guide dogs and walking sticks may soon be replaced by vibrating sonic shoes and sunglasses for self-navigation.
Inventors at Hong Kong Polytechnic University are developing a shoe that uses echolocation to 'sense' ditches and obstacles in the road. The shoe, which has a built-in computer, sends vibrations up a person's leg whenever the road ahead is uneven.
'Ultrasonic waves are sent out and when they bounce back they are interpreted by a receiver. Once an obstacle is detected the shoe will vibrate, perhaps increasing in intensity as the obstacle gets closer,' said the director of the Research Institute of Innovative Products and Technologies, Wallace Leung Woon-fong.
A vibrating belt may also be offered. 'Different types of vibrations can be used for dips and rises,' he said. 'As a result, the shoe will be able to detect steps, holes in the road and obstacles within a 5cm vertical distance.' A vibrating belt may also be offered.
From basketball shoes to sandals and pumps, the university's self-funded project will offer an array of choices to satisfy the fashion needs of every visually impaired person. Inspiration will come from designs showcased at the university's seasonal fashion shows presented by the Institute of Textile and Clothing.
Spearheading the project - which is expected to be complete by next August - is Professor He Jufang, whose sonic sunglasses won a silver award at last year's International Exhibition of Inventions, New Techniques and Products in Geneva, Switzerland.
The glasses, called Electronic Bat Ears, use similar technology and convey the texture, distance and size of obstacles by sending sound of different pitches, frequencies and volume into attached earphones. The vibrating sonic shoes are meant to complement the device, which covers only a 30-degree radius.
Taking the idea of shoes that can 'see where they are going' further, Dr He is putting a Global Positioning System and a geo-informatics system, which links geosciences and computers, in his glasses to ensure blind people know where they are at all times.
GPS will be combined with several navigational systems and embedded into the frame of the glasses with the geo-informatics system.
'If they flick a switch a voice will tell them exactly how to get from one place to another,' said Dr He, an associate professor in the department of rehabilitation sciences.
'The wearer will know which direction they are facing and where they are. We want to make the system so small that it can be hidden in the frames along with batteries and the sonar system. Then we can work on making the glasses both light-weight and stylish.'
The system can also be installed in a belt or mobile phone.
Some of Hong Kong's visually impaired people are dubious about the new products.
'There are so many bumps in Hong Kong's roads. If I wear the shoes I will end up shaking and vibrating all day,' said Chow Wing-cheung, who has been blind for 20 years.
'I also have many doubts about how good the navigation system can be.
'People keep trying to help but the reality is that they really cannot. Devices can be used as tools but they cannot replace things like the simple walking stick.'
According to the Hong Kong Blind Union, there are more than 70,000 visually impaired people in the city.
