Man invents wristband to help deaf people be more aware of their surroundings

Senso consists of an innovation that detects possible danger through sound. The wristband detects sound and lets the user know via vibration and a LED light, helping deaf and hearing impaired patients be more aware of their surroundings.

Zuko created Senso because he wanted to help his aunt. However, when he went to look for solutions in the market, either they were too expensive or too intrusive.

“My aunt lip-reads to fully understand what people around her are saying. In the family, we’ve always had to speak extremely loud when talking to her and I also realised that her condition wasn’t accommodated in the city, so I started the device with her in mind, concerning myself with her. To solve my aunt’s problem, I looked for devices she could use but all the devices that were available were too expensive and intrusive, meaning surgery had to be performed to insert a speaker inside a person’s inner ear,” the inventor said.

The first device Zuko built wasn’t enough to use as a proof of concept, so he participated in entrepreneurial competitions to raid more funds to further develop his project. He was able to get the capital and also got awards: the GAP ICT Award and the SAB Foundation Social Innovation Award. Senso was also selected as one of the Top 50 African Innovations at the Africa Innovation Summit 2018.

The innovator also founded his own company - Senso. The product will be launched in the market soon.

Adapted from: https://bit.ly/2weI4bs

More info: http://www.senso.co.za/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHaUdUgOEL8