At CES 2025, WeWalk, a Turkish startup developing technological solutions for the visually impaired, introduced its new generation smart cane, WeWalk Smart Cane 2. The cane, which attracts attention with its renewed design and added artificial intelligence features, will make the daily lives of visually impaired individuals much easier. Details in our news…
Kürşat Ceylan introduced the AI-supported WeWalk Smart Cane 2 cane for the visually impaired at CES 2025
Co-founder Kürşat Ceylan, who is visually impaired from birth, has replaced the touchpad on the WeWalk Smart Cane 2 model with more easily usable tactile keys. It also has a thinner and lighter handle design. The model is rainwater resistant, making it suitable for use in different weather conditions, and comes with a speaker, microphone, motion sensors and a flashlight that improves night vision.
The cane includes an ultrasonic time-measurement sensor developed by TDK, a 6-axis motion tracking unit, a barometric pressure sensor and a high-sensitivity microphone. These features detect obstacles and alert the user with both haptic and audio feedback. For example, during a demo, the cane detected a nearby obstacle and gave the user an audible warning, even in a crowded environment.
The cane is equipped with a voice assistant with ChatGPT support. Through the cane, the user can hear the names of stores and restaurants around them, access public transportation information or get answers to their questions. For example, if the user cannot read the menu in a café, they can ask the voice assistant if there are chocolate croissants available. Users can also access all information with a cane, without having to hold their phones in their hands all the time.
WeWalk will collaborate with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) to include these canes in their training programs starting in February. This collaboration will gather important data to understand the mobility experiences of visually impaired people and make technology more effective. Meanwhile, pre-orders for the WeWalk Smart Cane 2 are now open. Two different pricing models are on offer:
- $850: With a monthly subscription fee of $4.99 for the voice assistant.
- 1,150 dollars: Full package without subscription, including all AI features.
The first deliveries are scheduled to start later this month and the product will be available worldwide. So, what do you think about WeWalk Smart Cane 2? How can such technologies have an impact on the lives of visually impaired people? You can share your opinions in the comments section below…
