Initially developed to help people with visual impairments navigate the world, Ducere Technologies has launched LECHAL interactive haptic based footwear. Pronounced lay-ch-al, meaning “take me there” in Hindi, LECHAL footwear creates a hands-free navigation system through your feet, guiding the wearer towards their destination through simple vibrations in their shoes or insoles. Imagine exploring New York City… Instead of pulling out your phone and looking like a tourist as you try to find a popular restaurant or theater, you can comfortably walk to your destination while your shoes will vibrate to signal which way to walk and when you’ve reached your destination. Using Bluetooth to pair with a smartphone, LECHAL footwear can also be used to track fitness information like number of steps walked and calories burned.
Ducere Technologies have not forgotten their initial motivation to help those who are visually challenged:
“Every time you buy a pair of Special Edition footwear, one pair of LECHAL footwear will be subsidized for a visually challenged person, through Institutes like the world renowned L V Prasad Eye Institute, based in Hyderabad “
LECHAL footwear will be priced at $100 for the shoes or insoles. Each package will include a pair of footwear (insoles or shoes), a charger, and the application which can be downloaded on a smartphone (Android/IOS/Windows compatible). For preorders and more info, visit www.lechal.in
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The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Robin the Boy wonder called. He would like his footwear back. 😉
On a serious note, I continue to be amazed by these types of tech advances. The market may not be huge for this particular item, but the piggyback effect of what this can do, combined with other technologies, will lead to even more advances.
@Andy The shoes had reminded me of the winged shoes of the Greek god Hermes, but I think Robin is even better 🙂