Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have recently developed a shoe with a tactile sensor system that can indicate the distribution of obstacles in front of the user through vibration intensity, thereby reducing the chance of falling.
Scientists embedded three vibration motors in the toes, soles and ankles of the shoes. As indicated by the GIF, when a wireless sensor located at the front of the shoe detects an obstacle, the shoe is triggered to vibrate. Different vibration levels indicate different degrees of danger. For example, if the sensor detects only a small mound, it may vibrate slightly; if a large stone is detected, it may vibrate violently.
The original idea of ​​scientists was to design a special shoe for astronauts. The common space suits are bulky and bulky, which greatly limits the normal walking and sightlines of astronauts. Due to the complexity and sophistication of the design of space suits, and the vitality of protecting astronauts' lives, once falling, it is likely to damage the key components of space suits and endanger the life safety of astronauts. To this end, scientists from MIT and Cambridge specifically designed these shoes, designed to help astronauts reduce the chance of wrestling through tactile feedback.
However, at an international conference on human-computer interaction held last week, in addition to presenting preliminary research results, the researchers communicated and found that the shoes can also have many additional uses, such as VR/AR fields. And help disabled people.
Professor Shirley Rietdyk of Purdue University stated: “It is a very good idea to provide people with other sensory information other than vision, such as sound and touch, through wearing equipment. I personally believe that this research can not only Helping astronauts can also help those who cannot understand the current specific environmental information, such as firefighters, while also providing some help for the disabled and the elderly.â€
In addition, there are also media reports that if this haptic feedback technology is applied in the VR/AR field, it will make the user experience more realistic and truly reach the immersive effect.
In theory, this pair of shoes is a great innovation that can help thousands of people. However, in the actual test, the user cannot make a correct judgment on the tactile feedback in a timely manner, such as the sensor vibration in the left front, then the next step should be left or right. However, scientists believe that the significance of this technology does not stop at the actual application. More importantly, it can provide more new ideas for researchers in this field, so as to promote science and technology for the betterment of mankind.
Source:interestingengineering
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