solution to improve the quality of life of people with visual impairments

Biped is actually the result of an everyday situation faced by one of its two co-founders, Mael Fabien: “I once met a visually impaired person who, while crossing a pedestrian crossing, called a friend via Facetime. This is where I responded by telling myself that technology has made progress in facilitating the inclusion of people with disabilities.

However, a solution like Facetime is far from providing complete user autonomy and then the field of view is not the widest. Having completed my dissertation on artificial intelligence, I began the Biped project with the goal of providing this new technology with the most comprehensive and safe attention tool for all people with low vision.”

Mael Fabien will then use feedback from the hospital eye service to address the real needs of the people concerned, including covering different categories of obstacles encountered on the walking route, different mobility problems.

Mini Tesla on your shoulder!

“Biped is a 950g harness worn over the shoulders, equipped with cameras on the left chest, a battery behind the neck and a small computer on the right. For pedestrians, it works like an autonomous car,” sums up Maël Fabien, the developer of the solution along with Bruno Vollmer. The advantage of Biped is its ability to capture everything going on around the visually impaired user and provide the best possible navigation information. Today, the solution is of interest to structures working in the disability sector, as well as to companies seeking to offer accessible buildings and achieve their corporate social responsibility goals.

“Specifically, we turn to companies to easily mark walking routes and then create the most accurate map possible. Biped can recognize any obstacles on the way to the target, predict collision risks and send short beeps to Bluetooth headphones in case of danger. Biped can detect static obstacles (potholes, stairs, road signs) and mobile obstacles (pedestrians, bicycles, electric scooters, etc.) indoors and outdoors.

If the user gets lost, they can even press a button that will give them a voice description of the environment using artificial intelligence in just 7-10 seconds. “We are currently the only one in the world to offer a mobile solution developed using the artificial intelligence of the Honda Research Institute, which produces wide-angle images and a 170° field of view,” admits Maël Fabien. The startup has already produced 60 units and has several users in France, Spain and Switzerland.

Scalable solution

Ultimately, the Biped team hopes to develop indoor maps, specifically targeting transport facilities (train stations, airports, public transport, etc.). Another application she is thinking about: for example, the ability to integrate instructions when a user is shopping in a supermarket. With an affordable price point, Biped aims to become an everyday companion for all visually impaired people and an important solution in the accessibility market.

For more information: www.biped.ai/fr.