A connected chair that roams the halls of CES 2023 and can climb the steps. In his path, installed at the controls of his strange machine, Bernhard Winter makes a strong impression. This young Swiss is the inventor of Scewo Bro, a wheelchair different from the others.
Comfortably seated, he explains his project, an armchair that can finally easily climb steps or even sidewalks. Because it is usually the main problem that people in wheelchairs face. With Scewo Bro, a track system pulls the chair backwards to go up stairs or forwards to go down.
Smart wheelchairs for greater autonomy
But this is not his only strong point. Scewo has also electrified and modernized the wheelchair. It is equipped with a small control tablet that will allow you to go into driving, stair or parking mode, as well as adjust many settings. Connected to Wi-Fi, the device can even “upgrade like a Tesla,” laughs its designer.
It must be said that his chair could well be similar to the Tesla in his sector, with its innovations integrated between its two large wheels (and two small ones to steer well). The chair is directed with the joystick and can travel up to 10 km/h. It is very easy to manipulate and manipulate. When you have to climb stairs, its rear cameras allow you to see where you are going on the screen as a rear view camera.
And as if that were not enough, Scewo also benefits from a range of 30 km. The only point that will be very cold: the chair is advertised for more than 35,000 euros. A high sum, even if the company explains to discuss with mutual and health organizations in Switzerland as in France.
If Scewo is particularly advanced, it’s not the only rolling seat seen at CES 2023. In the halls of the Las Vegas show, Whill also shone. But the American concept is different. The American Model A autonomous electric wheelchair wants to be installed in airports and commercial areas to help those who have mobility problems, vision or hearing problems, and who need help to get around. Doté d’un panier à l’arrière pour transporter ses affaires, l’appareil peut rouler jusqu’à 10 km/h et, autonomie faisant une fois que vous lui avez donné le trajet à effectuer, il pourra se lancer dans son périple comme a great. And it’s even capable of detecting obstacles or other hazards to slow down or even stop without too much hard braking.
Glasses to support the white cane
If the white cane is essential equipment for anyone who is blind or visually impaired long ago taking their first steps online, however, it cannot protect its users above the waist. And it is very often at height that danger can come by surprise.
Many designers have taken the problem into their own hands and offer various solutions. Biped has developed a sensor-encased harness to detect the environment and warn the user of dangers ahead. This will take the form of sounds emitted from the side in question and getting louder as the obstacle (the person, the car or any other object) gets in the way. A different sound will be emitted depending on the type of hazard and the app allows you to practice recognition as well as usage.
Biped markets its harness as a $129/month subscription and has sold its first units in France.
And to hear noise without headphones clogging your ears, Biped provides a Shokz bone conduction headset with its headgear. This transmits the noises in the mini-speakers placed at the level of the temples.
Another solution for the visually impaired, Lighthouse Tech. Behind this name is a startup that wanted to emphasize the design of its product. Their glasses are inspired by Italian models, because “there is no reason why people with disabilities should not have the right to a beautiful product”, they explain within the Swiss company. Six versions will be featured at launch later this year.
These glasses are used to warn in case of danger above the waist, in addition to the white cane. The closer the danger is, to the right or to the left, the more the temples of the glasses on the affected side will begin to vibrate. From 3-4 meters, an obstacle is taken into account.
Other glasses through which technology passes: Xrai Glass. We have augmented reality glasses in which the transcription of your interlocutor’s words will be displayed live.
This goes through a dedicated Android application that, using the phone’s microphone, will translate and display the text heard, differentiating between the interlocutors if there are several. And in different languages. Main advantage: Xrai is compatible with all augmented reality glasses.
There was also a surprise announcement from Sony. Rather expected in TV spots at CES, the Japanese brand has focused on everyone’s future, mobility and… accessibility for PS5 gamers. With scarcity obviously running its course, next-gen consoles will start to flourish everywhere and PlayStation thinks it’s finally cool to be interested in players who don’t have all of their cognitive and motor skills.
A few years after Xbox, Therefore, Sony has introduced the next arrival of an adaptable and customizable controller. to allow all gamers to enjoy their flagship titles and other games. Under the code name Project Leonardo, the controller takes up the lines and color codes of the PS5 with the idea of making it configurable as desired to reach the largest number of disabled players, who number in the tens of millions around the world. . .
Source: BFM TV
