The haptic smartwatch comes in two variants and has 12 touch-sensitive hour markers arranged over the dial face, and the users will be required to scan the markers with their fingers.
“We believe that this watch will make a great social impact by enabling the visually impaired and blind to make seamless use of this technology for everyday usage,” Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director IIT Kanpur, said in a statement.
“The watch will soon be commercialised by Ambrane India and will be available in the market at an affordable price. This development is a testament to IIT Kanpur’s commitment to promote inclusivity through novel technology development,” he added.
Moreover, this watch is a fusion of tactile and vibration watches.
This watch eliminates the fragility of the tactile watch and the complexity of vibration watches that generate more than 20 pulses, creating a watch that is easy to operate, private, affordable, and robust.
Further, the use of innovative haptic icons makes navigating the menu simple, and a simple gesture like a double tap can open a specific health monitoring app.
These numbers are communicated in a similar way as the time.
The smartwatch comes equipped with features such as a heart rate monitor, step counter, hydration reminder and a timer that users can set using a simple gesture.
–IANS
shs/pgh
