Shanza Munir, an aspiring Information Technology (IT) student at the Government College University of Faisalabad has taken a huge step towards making this world a better place for people with visual impairments. She has invented Smart Shoes – A pair of shoes that will help those who do not have the ability to see in walking around.
These shoes were made as a part of a university project and are fitted with a detection system that can detect any hurdles within a 200 cm radius (2 metres). The user puts them on like any other pair of shoes and the shoes, upon detecting a hurdle within a 200cm radius, alarm the wearer of this hurdle by vibrating.
Shanza hopes this project, which has now become national news, will attract the right kind of investors, allowing her to mass produce and sell them to those in need. As of now, she estimates the cost of producing a pair of these to be about 10,000 to 12,000 rupees – this number can, however, be reduced if she can get professional materials and equipment.
Pakistan, however, is no stranger to innovations like this one. The youth of the country continues to baffle and amaze the world with its creative, innovative, and newfound ideas. From Robotic Championships in Australia and China to the International Global Game Jams, one thing’s for sure: Pakistan is filled with people that will never fail to amaze you.
