An Austrian company recently unveiled smart shoes that use ultrasound sensors to help people with blindness and low vision detect obstacles with a range of up to four meters.

 

According to the "Audity Central" website, the smart shoe, which has come to be known as "Enomike", aims to be a modern alternative to the decades-old walking stick that millions of people around the world rely on to get around as safely as possible.

 

The currently available model relies on obstacle detection sensors, vibration warning wearer, and acoustic alert on a smartphone connected to Bluetooth.

 

But the developer will not be satisfied with that, as it is currently working on a more advanced version that includes artificial intelligence technologies, in order to know the nature of the obstacles and obstacles, not just discover them.

 

The company entered into a cooperation and partnership agreement with the Graz University of Technology, in order to develop the latest deep learning algorithms similar to neural networks that can analyze the information provided by the sensors and cameras integrated in the shoe to determine if the area is free of obstacles as well as distinguish between different types of obstacles, whether it is a car or Wall, pit, ladder, etc.

 

It should be noted that the current version of the waterproof shoe is already available for purchase on the company's website for 3,200 euros ($ 3,850) per pair, without the camera, which is still in progress.

 

The company's next step is also to use the data collected by the shoe to create a kind of street view map for visually impaired people.