This Innovative Gadget Helps the Blind “See”
Go ahead and file this invention under “super cool.” The Enactive Torch is a sensor designed to help the blind “see” objects in front of them.
The device looks like a large remote that’s connected to a wristband and sends out infrared signals enabling the user to sense nearby objects with the help of a small buzzer attached to the wrist. The buzzer alerts the user if they are about to bump into a door frame or wall.
The Enactive Torch may certainly be a high-tech upgrade to canes and seeing-eye dogs that currently serve as the most popular tools to help the blind get around, but it is not yet widely available for use. According to the product’s official website there are two ways to get the device. You can buy it by contacting the Creative Robotics sales team or you can build your own. That’s right — Enactive Torch is managed as an open source project, so all the technical details are freely available.
Healthcare has become such a hot topic that it’s no wonder makers are hoping to disrupt the industry by finding inventive ways to solve everyday problems, like using 3D printers to create prothetic hands and body parts. In fact, the opportunities for inventors and start-ups in the trillion-dollar healthcare industry are so vast that health hackathons are sprouting up to incubate winning solutions. If hacking health means more life-changing devices like the Enactive Torch, then we’re pretty sure that everyone’s game.
What do you think of the Enactive Torch? Share your thoughts on this + any new health tech innovations you want to share with us in the comments section.
(h/t Tech Crunch)
