Integrating Touch and Sound

<p class="p1"><em>This podcast is about big ideas on how technology is making life better for people with vision loss.</em></p> <p class="p1">Today’s big idea is how we can use touch and sound together to create spatial awareness. Just like learning to play the piano or another instrument, smart cane technology engages the both sound and touch to compensate for loss of vision. Kürşat Ceylan, the founder and CEO of WeWALK, shares how the WeWALK smart cane engages a number of senses to develop new autonomy for users, and how their technology is a jumping-off point for integrating other technologies.</p> <p class="p1"><strong>The Big Takeaways:</strong></p> <ul class="ul1"> <li class="li1">People who are blind use their canes to detect obstacles in front of them to understand and visualize their surroundings. Tapping the cane allows them to hear the echo as well; hearing and touch go hand in hand.</li> <li class="li1">WeWALK is a white cane enabled with smart technologies: it detects obstacles at the head level, pairs with a smartphone so both don’t need to be held, and has the flexibility to receive new features with the software updates.</li> <li class="li1">This particular smart cane is a gateway for many different useful technologies that are adapted for accessibility for people who are vision impaired.</li> <li class="li1">New technologies for people who are blind tap into and expand on our natural senses. WeWALK uses ultrasound for obstacle detection, which converts the data from the ultrasound waves into meaningful information for the user — through touch (vibration) and eventually sound (a beep).</li> <li class="li1">The big vision for the future of WeWALK is to turn it into a personal hub assistant, including image recognition, voice assistant, and smart-stick integration. A more robust smart cane will allow for a fully autonomous journey for people who are visually impaired or blind.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Tweetables:</strong></p> <ul class="ul1"> <li class="li1">“The research has shown that people who take