Guidesense is a new assistive wearable from the VTT Technical Research Center of Finland. The device, which is designed to aid visually impaired people with mobility in day-to-day life, can sense objects and obstacles in the surrounding environment and relay those obstacles to its user through the use of both haptic and audio feedback.
Guidesense is worn around one's waist. The fanny pack-sized device contains millimeter wave radar sensors that are capable of detecting even minute objects in front of the wearer. If it senses that the wearer is approaching a nearby obstacle, vibrating motors inside the device will buzz an alert.
Guidesense's developers ran the device through a short test with 25 visually impaired people, and 80 percent of those people felt that the device improved their confidence in independent mobility and orientation.
Obstacle-Sensing Wearables
Guidesense Relays Obstacles to the Blind Through Haptic Feedback
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