Japanese automaker Honda, through its new subsidiary Ahirase, is marketing a shoe navigation system that will help the blind and visually impaired. Vibrations help blind people know where to go.
The Ahirase device is the first of its kind to use a smartphone app and a vibration device with a motion sensor. They are attached to the shoe. Using vibrations, Ahirase tells the user when to turn right, left or stop, depending on the path pre-set by the app. If the user has to go straight ahead, the device vibrates at the front of the shoe. If you have to move right or left, the left or right part will vibrate.
Honda states that the product should allow an intuitive understanding of the route, so that users do not have to constantly pay attention to trends. This will lead to a safer and more relaxing walk. Guidance is provided by satellite navigation, while vibrating devices transmit messages to the nerves of the foot.
Since the instructions come via the foot, users have their hands on other objects, such as a cane for the blind or a walking stick. In addition, people can completely focus their hearing on the environment. Honda expects to begin selling the system by March 2023.
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