Smart guide dog: Handheld device assists the blind in navigation

A new type of guide technology

Shape, developed by MakeSense, resembles a torch that bends and straightens to provide directional guidance. It uses small electric motors to alter its form, signaling to users which way to move. When the user is facing the correct direction, the device straightens. The device combines various sensors, including maps and navigation tools, to guide users to their target locations.

Intuitive design for easy use

Ad Spiers, co-founder of MakeSense, explained how the device works: “People are really good at recognising shapes with their hands, and this device leverages that skill. Its shape-changing function allows the user to intuitively understand the direction without the need for any prior training.”

Study demonstrates effectiveness

In a study published in Nature Scientific Reports, Spiers and his team tested Shape with 10 visually impaired participants, asking them to locate 60 targets in a controlled indoor environment. The results showed that the participants using the device performed just as well as sighted individuals in the same test, with no significant difference in the time it took or the efficiency of their routes.

Revolutionising navigation for the visually impaired

Spiers envisions that Shape could revolutionise navigation for blind and visually impaired people, using haptic technology to provide a new, intuitive way to get around.