You see a pair of shoes with Ashirase 2 attached to them with a smartphone showing the special app.
20:00 JST, October 6, 2024
The Honda Motor Co. affiliated startup Ashirase, Inc. has launched a shoe-worn device that guides visually impaired people to their destination by vibrating based on information sent by a smartphone app.
After the destination is entered into the dedicated smartphone app, the insteps, sides and heels of shoes with ‘Ashirase 2’ attached will vibrate to inform users if they are looking in the right direction, which way to go and when to turn so that they can be guided to the right destination. their destination.
Ashirase was founded under a Honda program aimed at helping employees establish new business units or independent startups as part of an entrepreneurship drive.
Based on user feedback when the first Ashirase model launched in 2023, the company has made the new model 15% smaller than the previous one and reduced the weight to 55 grams per shoe.
The accuracy of location information was also improved thanks to the use of technology used in automated vehicle driving systems. Ashirase 2 costs ¥54,000, and a usage fee is also required.
“We aim to sell 2,200 units per year and start selling them abroad in the summer of 2025,” said Wataru Chino, CEO of Ashirase.
