Fujitsu Unveils GPS-Enabled Walking Cane

Fujitsu has revealed a special, high-tech walking cane with built-in satellite navigation features. The firm has also unveiled a smartphone specially designed for elderly users.

Fujitsu's 'Next Generation Cane' allows users to set a route and get directions through an LED display positioned at the top of the handle. That display provides directions in the form of a a large yellow arrow; if the user turns the wrong way, the handle vibrates to alert them. (Source: bbc.co.uk)

The device also allows friends and family to track a user's location. It's possible to set the cane to send an email alert if it detects the user has taken a fall.

Cane Includes Medical Monitoring

The handle includes a sensor that monitors the heart rate and skin temperature of the user. These details can be viewed online in real-time, giving the cane user to have a degree of independence.

Fujitsu displayed the cane at the Mobile World Congress, an annual industry event held in Barcelona, Spain. No launch date has been set for the device.

Fujitsu also showed off its new "Stylistic S-01" smartphone, which is set for release in Europe this June. The Stylistic, which is designed with older users in mind, runs Google's Android mobile operating system. (Source: techcrunch.com)

The phone has a touchscreen, but it has been made slightly less sensitive, meaning it takes a firmer press to operate. The makers believe this will help people with less dexterous fingers avoid pressing the wrong buttons.

Stylistic Smartphone Uses Large Icons

Although the handset has just as many features as most Android smartphones, the menus are designed to be easier to use. Key features, such as the call button, the phonebook, and the messaging tool, are accessible via large icons, with other, less vital features appearing with smaller icons.

The phone also uses labels for buttons rather than using icons that might not be recognizable by people who are new to smartphones. The goal seems to be to make the phones accessible without 'dumbing them down.'