One UK startup wants to render the conventional white walking stick (pic) obsolete with its smart walking cane that can detect above-ground obstacles, allow for voice control and even provide turn-by-turn GPS navigation, taxi-booking and public transit directions in dozens of cities. — City photo created by prostooleh - www.freepik.com
Jean Marc Feghali has Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, a disease that reduces his peripheral vision and renders him effectively blind at night. But the intelligent walking cane he’s helping to develop has been life-changing, he says. It’s also won support from Microsoft Corp.
“We’ve come to a world where we talk about autonomous vehicles and yet we’re still sending visually impaired people out with what is essentially a stick,” Feghali said. “It doesn’t take you anywhere. It doesn’t take you to a coffee shop. It doesn’t help you seek employment. It’s just a stick.”
