WuFu glasses recreate tactile images for the blind

Losing one’s vision can be a pretty devastating experience, but advancements in the field of the bionic eye could restore sight to the blind sometime in the future, although that day still seems rather far off at the moment. The WuFu glasses might hasten that special day though, as it will comprise of an open hardware and open source aid which will rely on ultrasonic distance measurement. This method drew inspiration from nature, in particularly bats who use that to fly around without colliding with other bats even in pitch black darkness, as well as to locate prey with surgical precision. This visual aid will carry ultrasonic waves to sensors on opaque glasses while translating them using a couple of motors hooked up to the wrists of the wearer into vibrations. Basically, what you get would be tactile images of the surrounding space, with a compass sensor tracking the direction of the user to keep him/her on the right path. Hopefully guide dogs won’t be out of a job if the WuFu glasses go mainstream.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets, Medical, Top Stories
Tags: blind