The white cane for the twenty first century. Whereas many tech firms have more and more labored to make expertise extra accessible for the blind and visually impaired, canes haven’t benefited a lot from these advances.
London-born WeWalk takes a extra conventional strategy to the white cane. Past the bulkier deal with, not a lot units the corporate’s product aside visually from a typical folding cane.
The corporate at the moment gives two fashions: the $850 Smartcane 2 and $1,150 Smartcane+ 2. The first distinction between the tiers is the latter’s inclusion of a voice-controlled assistant — a seemingly invaluable instrument for a visually impaired particular person on-the-go. Along with detecting ground-level obstacles, the system is able to recognizing potential obstacles overhead.
The system connects wirelessly to an iPhone/Android smartphone, permitting customers to get strolling instructions straight from the cane through an onboard speaker. The buttons on the deal with can be used to interface straight with the telephone, bringing a tactile expertise smartphones lack.
Parked subsequent door on the CES present ground, Washington state-based Glidance is a a lot newer entrant on the scene. The startup describes its product, Glide, as an “autonomous, self-guided mobility assist,” or, merely, a robotic. Reasonably than the extra standardized type issue, Glide contains a deal with hooked up to a wheeled base.
The $1,500 system ($1,799 with an annual subscription) is at the moment in delicate launch mode, following an preliminary preorder. The system contains a pair of stereo-depth cameras and takes a extra technically refined strategy. Along with avoiding obstacles, it should alert the person after they strategy a door, elevator, stair, or curb, and briefly lock after they attain an intersection to keep away from oncoming site visitors.
The corporate says a delivery product is round a yr out. Glidance has raised a $1.5 million pre-seed and is at the moment within the technique of closing a $5 million seed.
