He confidently matches steps with hordes of people who are waiting for the lights to turn green and cross the road. He then patiently waits for his bus. In the bus, he gets the front row seat, chitchats with the old man sitting beside him and gets off at his stop. He then walks to his office. Sounds normal? Well, not for Rajesh Sharma, who is visually impaired. Like Rajesh, hundreds of visually impaired all over the country will be able to lead a normal life, thanks to Krispian Lawrence and Anirudh Sharma.
Started in 2011, by two friends, whose passion was to contribute to this world, the Le Chal project which was set up in Hyderabad, aims at giving a new life to those who have lost their eyesight. Graduates from MIT and the University of Michigan, these two individuals love to experiment with design and engineer products. Their innovative strategy is that their products are intuitive, non-obtrusive, and easy on the pocket. They have literally given eyes to the visually impaired by designing a shoe that shows them the way. The footwear connects with your smartphone, and guides you to your destination through vibrations. "You just have to install the Le Chal app in your smartphone. The wearers can then voice their destination on Google Maps, which is communicated through Bluetooth to the heel of the shoe. The wearers get instructions in the form of vibrations. For example, if you have to go to Brigade road, you can say Brigade road in your phone and the shoe will automatically take you there. If you have to turn left, you will feel a vibration in your left foot," said Lawrence. The shoe comes with different features like obstacle detection, orientation, interaction and navigation. The wearer can customise the gestures according to his/her preferences. For example, the wearer can create a gesture for going home. So if he/she taps the shoe twice, it will automatically take the wearer home.
Initially, the idea was conceptualised not keeping the visually impaired in mind. It was only later that the duo realised that this could be a life changer for many. Though they set up their company in Hyderabad, it was in Bangalore that the partners met. "It was a common friend, ironically who was also visually impaired who introduced us. It was Anirudh who came up with the idea. Without wasting any time we set up a company and thus began this journey together," said Lawrence. The shoe which is being tested currently will be launched in August 2013. The challenge now is getting the product out at an affordable price. “We cant sell the product at a very low price as that will affect the company. We are planning to come out with different models at different costs to suit everyone's pockets. A lot of NGOs from all over the world have also contacted us for the shoe,” said Lawrence. Anirudh Sharma was unavailable for comments as he is currently completing his higher education in MIT.