Keith Kirkland: Wearable tech that helps you navigate by touch

Wearable tech that helps you navigate by touch

Keith Kirkland is developing wearable tech that communicates information using only the sense of touch. He's trying to figure out: What gestures and vibration patterns could intuitively communicate ideas like "stop" or "go"? Check out his team's first product, a navigation device for the blind and visually impaired, and learn more about the entirely new "haptic language" he's creating to power it.

Turning the sense of touch into a rich channel for communication, innovators are creating wearable devices that guide users through vibration patterns instead of visuals or sound. A blind runner using a wristband navigated the first 15 miles of the New York City Marathon without sighted help, proving touch can replace traditional cues. By inventing a universal haptic 'language,' designers aim to make navigation and movement accessible to everyone, transcending cultural and physical barriers. This approach unlocks the skin’s hidden potential as a fast, instinctive way to share information.