'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.