Phillip (real name withheld) is visually impaired, going about his daily activities is quite challenging, a free-spirited individual with a choleric temperament, he prefers to do things himself but his disability limits him. Phillip is one of the 285 million people with visual impairments in the world of which 39 million are blind (data source: WHO). One of their major challenges is how to navigate their destinations. While some can afford to get a guide dog, others can't due to allergies, cost and living spaces. Majority of the world's visually impaired people rely on canes/sticks to get around.
Visually impaired people seek to be independent. This is what Anthony Camu had in mind when he designed "Theia," a handheld robotic dog-like guide, that is able to direct the user like the pull of a guide dog leash. Anthony is a final year Industrial Design and Technology student at Loughborough University, London. He was inspired to invent Theia by virtual reality gaming consoles and self-driving vehicles.
Theia uses a special control movement gyroscope (found in attitude control systems of spacecrafts) to move users’ hands and lead them to their desired destinations. It is able to process real-time data like weather and traffic, thus guiding the users correctly and safely. Theia is also able to “see” and capture a three-dimensional image of the user’s surroundings with a combination of cameras and LiDAR (a remote censoring method that uses light).
Anthony’s ultimate goal is that Theia’s users can navigate their route safely and efficiently, at the same pace as or even faster than people without visual challenge without worrying about visualizing the environment.
How Theia works
- To begin, Theia is activated by the user’s voice. The user tells Theia where he or she wants to go.
- Theia then programs the route to reach the destination and guides the user while avoiding accidents.
Though still a prototype and undergoing further improvements, Anthony is optimistic about Theia.
He said: “The goal of many non-sighted people is to be independent and live a normal life. I know this is a grand vision but I hope people can see the positive effects Theia can have on the blind community. Theia has the capacity to expand a blind person’s comfort zones and possibilities thus allowing them to think less about walking and more about what’s waiting for them at the end of the route.”
Through Theia, Anthony Camu hopes to make blind people live comfortably by providing them with abilities that they otherwise may not have. Thanks to Anthony, people like Phillip can hope for an independent life.