Photo: Thinkstock

I’ve lost track of how many completely amazing and world-changing ideas for inventions I’ve had over the years. Probably because I’ve never actually made a single one. But isn’t there something appealing about having the cartoon, lightbulb-over-your-head idea, and then going ahead and actually making it happen? Sadly, due to my lack of engineering expertise, the world will probably never know my game-changing Umbrella Stroller That Doesn’t Tip Over design. And my so-ingenious-I-can’t-believe-I’m-revealing-it concept of Pneumatic Pet Tubes (you know, for when you only want to walk them one way and then send them home), still a pipe dream.

But shoes for the visually impaired? Good thing this wasn’t my idea, but that of Anirudh Sharma, an Information Technology Engineer from Rajasthan Technical University. According to this post on Pixelonomics, Sharma’s shoe system (called “Le Chal”) could replace the white cane and seeing-eye-dog as the best option for the visually impaired. Mild vibrations alert the walker when it’s time to turn and what direction; the vibrations grow stronger near the end of a journey. A built-in sensor lets the walker know of obstacles. Tests have gone well, and Sharma is planning to start producing and selling the shoes (for more updates, check out his fascinating blog). This design could no doubt change people’s lives--and it's almost as cool as a Pneumatic Pet Tube.

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