The feelSpace navigation belt for blind people is now available in our range. The innovative product from the start-up feelSpace from Osnabrück offers blind people orientation safety on unknown paths. A major step towards worldwide distribution will take place at the end of September at the Rehacare trade fair in Düsseldorf. This is where we will be presenting the product and our partnership to an international audience.
Blind people can easily stray from the right course in large squares or when crossing wide streets. The team at feelSpace have recognised this problem and developed a wearable solution in the form of their navigation belt, which unobtrusively shows those affected the right way. The signposting aid contains 16 tiny vibrating motors that form a tactile compass along the waistline and guide the wearer in the right direction.
Our Managing Director Jörg Buschbell is delighted with this unusual addition to our product range: ‘For centuries, orientation aids for the blind have been limited to touch sticks – which we naturally also stock in modern versions. With the feelSpace navigation belt, however, a real innovation is now entering our range for the visually impaired.’ In basic use, the feelSpace navigation belt helps to safely avoid unintentional turns – for example when crossing streets or squares – by always ‘pointing’ in one direction like a compass. In navigation mode, the vibrating elements guide the user safely to new destinations, just like a pedestrian navigation device – the associated apps for support have of course been developed with a special focus on accessibility. The special thing about the whole system is that the information is felt directly on the skin and therefore processed intuitively. The naviBelt works like a new sense – a sense of direction.
Medical device developed by cognitive scientists
The feelSpace navigation belt is the result of more than 10 years of basic university research, which began with the idea of giving people an artificial sense of compass to perceive the points of the compass. FeelSpace co-founder Susan Wache was also involved in the work of the interdisciplinary Department of Cognitive Science at Osnabrück University: ‘Our study participants feel much safer when travelling with our feelSpace navigation belt than without it. Typical traffic situations such as busy streets, open spaces or busy junctions seemed less threatening to them.’ According to the founder, the belt gives the wearer enormous freedom and safety. It makes it much easier to participate in everyday life. The vibrating directional signals are intuitively understandable for users and are very comfortable to wear. Another plus point: the user’s hands and ears remain free.
FeelSpace and Ossenberg at Rehacare
From 25 to 28 September this year, international trade visitors will be able to see the invention from Osnabrück for themselves. ‘The product offers extraordinary added value and we are very confident that we can add another chapter to the feelSpace success story with our global network,’ says Jörg Buschbell.
You are interested in the feelSpace navigation belt? Don’t hesitate to contact us directly!
Are you interested in the feelspace navigation belt? Then contact us directly by email at sales@ossenberg.com. We look forward to hearing from you and will be happy to support you!