LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Diego Roel is a 16-year-old young man who has developed a product that makes it possible for blind people to move and walk without any problems.
In the halls of the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in the city of Las Vegas, this Mexican (who at the age of ten was already a robotics teacher and currently directs Strap Technologies), makes his way and shows Forbes Mexico his product. He tells us that this product promises to help people with blindness at different levels of vision so that they can walk without the aid of a cane.
Lots of companies are pouring resources into teaching cars to see the world around them. Now a startup called Strap Technologies is developing a wearable pod that uses some of the same kinds of sensors used by autonomous vehicles—radar, lidar, ultrasonic—to give blind people a clearer sense of their surroundings.
The company, headquartered in Austin, with a research and development lab in Guadalajara, Mexico, has shown off earlier versions at such tech events as the Consumer Electronics Show and South by Southwest.
STRAP is a wearable, hands-free device with an innovative array of sensors that work by sending real-time information that detect obstacles at the head, chest and below — including oncoming bumps, holes, overhanging objects and steps. The haptic language notifications also make STRAP an intuitive device to use and easy to learn in less than two minutes. STRAP is designed for all ages and abilities, and offers obstacle detection, stair detection, advanced haptic feedback, straight line navigation and orientation. It can also distinguish between physical objects and people. The device once charged can last up to 72 hours and is easy to recharge with a magnetic charger provided.
Discover a new way of living that will change the way you explore the world.
In the future blind people will not depend on a white cane or a guide. A wearable with the potential to restore independence and freedom to people who have lost their sight.
Strap is a company that develops a wearable that detects obstacles on the floor and ceiling so that people with reduced visual capabilities can move more freely without using the white cane. It will change the life of visually impaired people.
The vision behind Strap Technologies is to give the visually impaired more independence and rights. There are more than 300 million visually impaired people in the world, and according to the World Health Organization every 5 seconds someone else loses their sight. We are talking about 70 thousand plus persons each day that lose their sight and with it, their independence. The fact is, as we are speaking now, or as you are reading this, there are many things that the visually impaired person is trying to accomplish or to execute and they are unable to because of their impairment. This means they are not autonomous.
The Strap device is worn as a harness on the front of the body, and uses remote sensing elements based on the emission and reception of electromagnetic waves (radar), sounds imperceptible to the human ear (ultrasonic sensors) and laser light pulses (lidar) to obtain information from the nearby physical world, and transmit it.
In this episode of Season 0, we will share with you how our device works, as you listen and experience a day in the life of George. We hope you enjoy it.
In this episode of Season 0, we are going to talk about security. To prepare for today’s episode, I talked with our CTO Ben Eynon to deeply understand the technology that is behind our device.
Strap Tech has developed first of its kind innovative technology based on haptic language to be able to grant real autonomy with a universal understanding.
Three years in the making, STRAP is an innovative, wearable device that fits over the chest and is designed to detect any type of obstacle. STRAP’s vast array of sensors work by sending real-time information that detects obstacles at your head, chest, and below your waist - including bumps, holes, and steps, then notifying you with haptic language vibrations.
