Research state: Opportunity
Horizon scan, innovation. Sound producing piano staircase
The piano staircase is an interactive landscape that was implemented to encourage people to use the stairs instead of the lift and the escalator. The steps were embedded with sensors so that when people stepped on them they produced audio feedback. This was not implemented specifically for visually impaired users but it could act as an aiding tool that could be built into public infrastructure. Visually impaired users could essentially hear their movements across the city, and specific sounds could inform them of their location.
Company: Volkswagen, Stockholm.
Components: sound enabled pressure sensors