The objective of this new technology is
to guide people when they are walking around in order to encourage them to go
in the right way without using a map.
The electrodes fixed on their legs
simulate the human locomotion system and control the walking direction.
This invention is supposed to ease the
travelers’ journey by avoiding them to always have to keep an eye on a map or a
phone. It would be helpful for old, blind people and others that cannot find
their way easily.
The electrodes affect a muscle named the
sartorius that is located from the knee to the top of the thigh. This muscle
receives like a soft electric discharge that will guide the legs to walk in a
specific direction.
Students have tested this cruise control
for pedestrians. They could notice that all the movements were made
unconsciously; the journey is set up on a mobile phone, allowing the users to
seat and have a break if they want to. Max Pfeiffer, a student of the
University of Hannover works on this project and admitted that this new technology
is difficult to accept. He insists on the importance of the wearable
technology, the augmented reality and is confident on the fact that people will
get used to the new technologies and will adopt them.
For now, the device was only tested on
students that created the project and guided through sending message over
Bluetooth. The objective of this cruise control for pedestrians is to lead to a
mobile application. Navigation software could be set up in order to limit the
use of the phone to encourage users to complete a journey by zaps from their
mobile.
The scientist Pfeiffer compares it
project to Google Maps saying that ‘ When I use Google Maps and I navigate
somewhere, I am always pulling my mobile out of my pocket to check’. The main
objective of the electrodes is to avoid this; the user just say where he wants
to go and he will arrive there. This allows the user not to spend too much time
on the screen of his phone to see where he has to turn. Then he has more time
to enjoy the landscape and exploring the streets he is going through. The scientist
also proposes that it could be use by groups, not only individuals. For
instance when you are in a stadium or in crowed places.
Other technologies have been created to
explain people precise skills; for the scientists working on this project, the
electrodes will be used a lot by people and will have an important role in the
way people travel and discover a new city.
Sources:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/new-invention-zaps-peoples-legs-with-electrodes-to-guide-them-through-streets-10172274.html?icn=puff-10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCQjNWQb9Wg
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