Navigating an urban landscape is difficult enough, but doing it without the benefit of sight is confusing and can be dangerous. Microsoft teamed up with research group Future Cities Catapult to create a headset that creates a multi-layered soundscape to help those with visual impairments get around. The Cities Unlocked project uses a smartphone and bone conduction sound to provide information about the wearer’s surroundings.

The behind-the-head headset features two small nodes that fit just in front of each ear to transmit sound through the wearer’s bones. This type of sound delivery is more efficient than sounds that travel through the air, and the technology allows the wearer to hear both the headset’s cues and the ambient noises around them.

Each headset is custom made using Microsoft’s Kinect camera. The camera scans the wearer’s head to determine the precise location of the wearer’s ear canals. The nodes are designed to fit in front of the ear canals to bypass the eardrums altogether. This precise positioning allows the headset to create noises that seem to come from a certain direction. If a wearer is headed in the wrong direction, the headset can create a sound coming from the correct direction which cues the wearer to turn that way.

The headset can name nearby landmarks, buildings, and businesses to help the wearer keep their bearings. It is connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth and relies on information from location and navigation services. Before setting out, a wearer can program in a route and the headset will guide them to the location using verbal directions and sound cues.

Part of the project’s vision is to place information beacons in strategic locations throughout urban areas. These beacons would provide valuable information about transportation schedules and other helpful mobility tips.

The initiative is aimed not only at people who are commuting to and from work; it is meant to help tourists and those who are new to a city. Getting around a new city with sight loss is a huge and scary undertaking, but the help provided by the Cities Unlocked project could help visually impaired people attain a whole new level of confidence and independence.

The post Headset Guides Blind People Through City With Audio Cues first appeared on Gajitz.

The ReWalk, the first FDA-approved exoskeleton for home use, was a tremendous leap forward in mobility solutions for paraplegics. However, the ReWalk requires that the user retains full function of his or her arms and, as such, can only be used by about ten percent of wheelchair users. Dr. Amit Goffer invented the ReWalk and is a wheelchair user himself, but even he can’t use the exoskeleton. That is part of the reason he’s now working with RehaMed Technologies to develop a mobility solution that is closer to a Segway than to a wheelchair.

The new invention is called the UPnRIDE, and it gives users the option to travel sitting or standing. While standing wheelchairs are nothing new, what sets the UPnRIDE apart is its incredible stability. Whether in a sitting or standing position, the user’s center of gravity remains the same. This reduces the chances that the user will fall – but if an accident should take place and it looks like the user is about to fall, safety arms pop out to catch him/her, kind of like the airbag safety system used in cars.

Dr. Goffer is enthusiastic about the prospects of the UPnRIDE in part because of its ability to easily navigate urban environments. While in the standing position the UPnRIDE resembles a Segway, which Dr. Goffer considers an important point for younger wheelchair users who want to avoid the stigma and limitations of being confined to a wheelchair.

Oren Tamari, the CEO of RehaMed Technologies, says that the UPnRIDE is still a couple of years away from being ready for market, but it’s only a few months away from the prototype stage. Thanks to the researchers’ hard work, the UPnRIDE could soon do for quadriplegics and MS patients what the ReWalk is doing for paraplegics already.

The post Finally, a Standing Wheelchair Meant for Quadraplegics first appeared on Gajitz.

The classic rickshaw design hasn’t changed in centuries – it’s simple, effective, and no-nonsense. But designer Kenneth Cobonpue has come up with a more modern design for contemporary urban travelers – and it’s seriously beautiful.

The Eclipse is as low-tech as the traditional rickshaw: the driver pedals a bike while the passenger sits in comfort. They’ve been used in Asia forever, but they have recently begun to show up in American cities as a completely green form of city transport – and they aren’t just used for the novelty factor.

Made of lightweight aluminum and polyethylene, the Eclipse is easy on the driver. The passenger has it easy, too – the passenger compartment features soft seats, cup holders, an iPhone charger and a cover that can close.

Cobonpue realizes that it will take some time for commuters to accept alternative forms of transportation. His hope, though, is that vehicles like the Eclipse will help convince urban travelers that environmentally-friendly vehicles are the wave of the future.

(via: FastCo)

The post Modern Rickshaw is a Green Urban Commuter Carriage first appeared on Gajitz.

Bikes are certainly the most popular kind of people-powered vehicle to get around urban environments, but scooters have their place as well – and this very cool hybrid combines them both. The bike/scooter combo is called Pibal, which means “baby eel.”

Famed designer Philippe Starck worked with car manufacturer Peugeot to come up with a bike for the city of Bordeaux’s public bike scheme. The Pibal can be ridden just like a normal bike, but when you need a change of pace or have to get through a pedestrian area, you can just stand up on the platform with one foot and push along with the other.

The Pibal allows riders to carry a load of groceries on the front or back. Your child can even stand on the platform while you push the bike along, making the end of a shopping trip fun and simple rather than stressful and tiring.

The post French Public Transport Plan Yields Bicycle + Scooter Hybrid first appeared on Gajitz.

This sweet little vehicle looks a bit like a motorcycle that still has a lot of growing up to do, but it’s actually a three-wheeled electric urban transporter. Named Qugo, it was created by Dutch company Urban Mobility Europe as an easy and eco-friendly way for city dwellers to scoot around city streets.

The Qugo seems somewhat similar to the Segway – in concept, anyway – but its three wheels make it far more stable. The frame is aluminum, making it a super lightweight 55 pounds without the battery. For easy storage, the handlebars fold down, making the Qugo even tinier. According to the makers of the Qugo, the stand-up transporter is kind of like skiing on the road. It certainly looks like a fun ride, and its unique construction makes it possible to zoom around at up to 15.5 MPH while remaining stable.

It’s worth mentioning that the Qugo is genuinely adorable. Could it finally do what the Segway never could and make people want to ride around on single-rider electric scooters? That remains to be seen, as it is currently being offered at a small number of outlets around the world.

The post Tri-Wheeled Electric Scooter Provides a Smooth, Safe, Cool Ride first appeared on Gajitz.