technology to the rescue of everyday life

Being deprived of sight, even partially, represents a considerable handicap on a daily basis. Moving around in unknown spaces, practicing leisure activities, many activities become much more complicated to accomplish. smart health connected objects can replace, at least partially, a deficient sense. Discover five accessories and prototypes that can help the blind.

Sunu, the ultrasonic bracelet for the blind

Built at the Tec Institute in Monterrey, Sunu is a smart health connected bracelet specifically intended for the blind. It is based on a sonar system which helps during daily trips. It can detect obstacles and, if necessary, warn its wearer through vibrations. It's a technology similar to what dolphins and bats use to orient themselves. This process is more effective than a cane since it detects at a greater distance. However, it is also less visible, which could cause problems on the street, if the person opposite does not detect the handicap and does not shift.

The Sunu bracelet is sold for $ 249. After a halftone operation on Indiegogo ($ 21,000 on a target of 50,000), the product was successfully produced and deliveries were made. It currently seems impossible to order the product, we will have to wait for the company to prepare the next step.

Seeing AI, the glasses that describe the world to the visually impaired

For a blind person, entering a room and not seeing what is in front of him or in a room when he enters is both frustrating and dangerous. The PivotHead glasses were adapted by a Microsoft engineer, himself who is blind. "One of the things I have dreamed of the most since I started university is to have something that can tell me what is around me at all times," he explains in the ehealth presentation of the project. A dream become possible through an application called Seeing AI. This allows to have indications on what is facing the wearer. The tool also uses facial recognition software that provides information on the mood and age of the caller.

The glasses are on sale for 299 dollars. However, the application has not yet been made public. We will therefore have to wait a little longer.

VIDI, augmented reality against vision loss

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the number one cause of blindness in people over 50. It is gradually causing a loss of independence among seniors and making them more vulnerable. The main symptoms are reduced vision, distorted lines and a dark patch in the field of vision. French company LightVision provides an alternative thanks to augmented reality. His glasses allow you to reproduce the surrounding images. The wearer also has the ability to zoom in and adjust the brightness and contrast. If your two eyes are not in the same situation, the glasses automatically detect it and adjust each eye according to its need.

The company does not indicate on its site where one can buy VIDI glasses. Officially the product has been on sale since 2015 and its price should vary between 2,000 and 3,000 euros. Ultimately, the company wants to be able to adapt glasses to other pathologies.

Dot, the braille smart health connected watch

If you have a watch smart health connected to your wrist, look at it. Its beautiful flat screen, its digital display or even its mixture of needles and notifications. A technological marvel without any roughness. You probably never thought about it, but for the blind, such a model would be completely useless. Fortunately, the first braille smart health connected watch could make a difference. Named Dot, it has a dynamic display capable of displaying four characters in Braille simultaneously. Despite a somewhat harsh visual, this smart health connected watch displays rather interesting technologies. You can of course read the time there, read messages, receive notifications, have your fitness data… For the moment, it is still in beta Review but after more than two years of development, its creators claim to be reaching their goal .

Lechal, smart health connected shoes and soles for the visually impaired

We were talking about this a few weeks ago during our article on smart health connected insoles. The Indian brand Lechal offers soles and smart health connected shoes for the blind. The idea is to use the shoes thanks to an integrated GPS system. You enter your destination in the app and your feet then receive directions. Everything works thanks to a haptic feedback in your arch thanks to vibrations. Right foot to go right and vice versa. If this does not show you the obstacles on the road, it still makes travel much easier.

These soles represent a real investment since they are sold at 160 €. Two different sizes are available, but they can also be cut to your needs. The connection to your smartphone is via Bluetooth 4.0 and the data can be configured on an application (compatible with Android and iOS).

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