In the midst of summer, we are pleased to announce a new chapter for WeWALK. We are honored to be selected as Amazon’s Startup of the Year in the Innovation Awards 2021.. We will use the €100,000 award to deliver smart canes to more visually impaired people across the globe to enhance their mobility and independence. We wholeheartedly thank everyone who voted and supported us throughout the campaign. Don’t forget to check out our announcement video by tapping here. Also, if you want to read the blog post about WeWALK published on the Amazon page, you can find it here.
We have released a firmware update for the WeWALK smart cane. To update your cane, simply pair your WeWALK cane with the WeWALK app and you will receive a popup notification with instructions for updating the firmware. The update takes approximately 8-10 minutes and as a friendly reminder, please make sure your cane is charging during the process and that you do not use the app or cane during the update process.
“I’ve checked it out with the app and everything is absolutely superb. There’s nothing to touch it. I’ve been looking for a long time to find something that’s good. We cannot find anything else. It’s usable, comfortable, and light enough. And I have to use a power chair at times to get any distance and I think I can still use it in a power chair reasonably well. My guide dog is happy cause he’s going to personally retire now cause I don’t need him – he’s our pet now. So, this has taken his place, and I actually think this is better than a guide dog in lots of ways. Because a guide dog can’t really tell me which way to go in a strange area, this can, so I’m really thrilled with it.” – Roger (UK)
Pool Navigation Aid for Visually Impaired Athletes: Since being invented in the 1980’s, the tapping method has been a helpful way for visually impaired swimmers. (A coach or specifically trained person tapping the visually impaired athlete as needed with a foam pole). However, when a signal is given too late, it can cause severe injuries. Loughborough University is using ultrasonic distance technology and infrared beams to reduce risk of injury; the optic measures the distance of the swimmer and detects their location. Read more about this technology by clicking the link here.
Blind Ambition Review: Rebecca Nicholson reviewed the Blind Ambition documentary series. Blind Ambition, on BBC Two Channel. It tells the stories of two men, Jamie O’Leary, a TV director with low vision and Jamie MacDonald, a blind standup comedian. O’Larry explains this project as; “The idea here is to meet blind or partially sighted creatives, to see how their vision changes, well, their vision.” Read more about the series and Rebecca’s full review here.
This New Study Can Open a New Chapter for Fuchs’ Dystrophy: Currently the only treatment for Fuchs’ Dystrophy is corneal transplant. However, researchers from University of Oregon’s Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact might have found another way. The researchers used start codon disruption with CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to prevent Fuchs’ Corneal Dystrophy in mice. This can open a new chapter for the cure of the disease. Tap here to learn more.
And that wraps up this edition of WNEWS. Until next time, stay connected, stay informed, and stay healthy until the next edition of WNEWS!