VIA 01
Via Vos product is designed to work as a guide for deaf-blind people in closed public spaces. It includes 3 patches, a pixy camera integrated into the patches and a wristband. It uses Bluetooth to communicate between the different components and this will include high level protection to prevent possible influence of other devices or people. The sensors located in the upper arms and the chest allow users to navigate by detecting their environment with ultrasonic distance sensors that emit a signal interpreted by a microcontroller that processes it and thus generates a vibration according to the proximity of the objects in each direction.
Approximate cost USD 170
Glossary
Machine learning: a technology that through a programmed algorithm can detect images and pair them up with certain meanings, it is always expanding and as its name indicates it can continue developing and learning in time.
Modularity: According to the Merreriam - Webster dictionary it is something constructed with standardized units or dimensions for flexibility and variety in use. In our product we can evidence this characteristic in the patches, which are independent from one another and can adapt to the needs of different users.
Patches: It contains the sensor and according to the information the sensor captures, it informs the user if there is an obstacle on the way or a possible location of interest through previously determined vibration patterns.
Sensors: Small devices that utilize ultrasonic technology to detect nearby objects that may be an obstacle in the way for the person using the device.
Vibration pattern: This is a stimuli that is designed to inform the user of recurring information such as an object they should avoid, this signal is given with a continuous vibration that is felt by the person as long as they stay in range of that object. The other type of pattern is an established signal that emits intermittent vibration to inform the user of a place they may want to go to. For example the bathroom is represented by three short quick vibrations in the wristband. In case the person wants to go to the bathroom they will then receive intermittent signals in the patches so they can follow the path to the determined place.