February 20, 2020
In 1921, a blind artist named James Briggs got the idea to paint his cane white to alert others to his condition as he navigated streets. The white-cane movement took off, and the cane remained simply a symbolic stick for the next 95 years. No more. In the fast-moving arena of today’s adaptive technology, people who are blind or visually impaired can use white canes that have object-detecting sensors, GPS navigation, voice assistance, and other features.
SmartCane debuted a couple of years ago, and now WeWalk takes the tech further by integrating voice assistance, Google Maps, and Bluetooth. Its inventor, Kursat Ceylan, is a blind engineer. He said WeWalk would be continually updated with new features, such as connecting to public transportation and ride-booking services.