The Indian footwear brand Lechal has released sensory shoes that are capable of leading their owner to wherever he needs.
The designer of this shoe, Anirudh Sharma, who began his career at the Hewlett-Packard Research Laboratory in Indian Bangalore, sought to make life easier for visually impaired people. To give them the opportunity to confidently navigate the terrain, relying on the route laid in advance by the navigator. But, since it’s not easy for such people to check a card on a smartphone, and voice prompts in the noise and hustle of city streets are not always effective, Sharma decided to bet on a tactile interface.
Lechal boots are a simple and powerful embodiment of this interface. They communicate via Bluetooth with a smartphone running a navigation application. When it becomes necessary to turn left or right, the corresponding boot receives a signal from the smartphone - and activates a small vibration motor. Feeling the vibration of the foot, the person shod in Lechal turns in the right direction.
Together with his business partner Crispian Lawrence Sharma, he founded Ducere Technologies, which has developed a shoe to match this futuristic navigation interface - comfortable, catchy, highly cleanable and equipped with an antibacterial inner coating. Of course, Lechal boots will attract the attention of not only the visually impaired, but also tourists.
One charge of Lechal batteries (with standard USB interface) is enough for three days of hiking. They are also capable of all the same things that "smart" sneakers are famous for: counting the calories spent by the owner, recording his physical activity. Another significant plus: moving around in these shoes, you can not be afraid to forget your smartphone somewhere. Upon detecting the loss of the signal, the Lechal vigorously vibrate at the same time, prompting the owner to return as soon as possible.
On March 7th, Ducere Technologies will begin accepting pre-orders for its development (whose name is translated from Hindi as "take me there"). The price and the actual start date for deliveries have not yet been announced.
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