Youpiiie! Martin Frey has uploaded in english one of the funniest moments of the Free Projects presentation during the Open Days at the UDK in Berlin.

Conventional navigation systems communicate with the user in an audio or visual way. CabBoots tries to guide the wearer by sending tactile clues to the feet.

The project was inspired by countryside trails which usually have a concave shape. The foot walking near the edge of the trail preceives the angle of the concavity and the walker redirects his/her path intuitively – so s/he can walk along a trail blindly…

Electromechanic parts in the sole of the CabBoots shoes are able to modify the angle of the shoe artificially. Virtual paths can thus be communicated to the shoe.

The prototype consists of three parts: the shoes with a series of sensors and mechanics, an interface and a computer running a software to analyse the data from the sensors. The Interface provides the communication between the shoes and the Mac. In the future both the interface and the computer could be embedded in the shoes.
Dual-axis Accelerometers and Compass Modules transmit the data to determinate the position and orientation of the shoes. GPS could enhance the positioning also related to the environment – but is not integrated yet. Distance Sensors detect the Distance to obstacles on the way. Flaps are pulled to the lower elastic layer of the sole by servo motors if necessary; they create the angle of the sole. Switches at the rear side of the shoes register the contact to the base.

The shoes could find applications in the following contexts: assistance to avoid obstacles, target-orientated guidance from point A to point B, reference to nearby “Points-of-Interests”… or a virtual borderline of an otherwise accessible area.

More images.