Students help shape future of new mobility tech

Students and staff recently welcomed the team from Glide for an exciting demonstration of their new AI-powered mobility prototype. The visit offered a unique opportunity for RNC's younger demographic to test out the innovative technology and provide invaluable feedback. Glide is designed to be an intelligent guide, helping users navigate safely by avoiding obstacles and finding the optimal path to their destination.

Pictured: Glidance Engineer Maya holds up the Glide for student Jess to explore with her hands

RNC's sports hall was transformed into a test environment, complete with an obstacle course, allowing students to experience firsthand how the Glide prototype guides them around obstructions and rapidly adapts to sudden changes.


Pictured: Student Shabaz uses the Glide as Luke demonstrates the product's quick reaction time when faced with an obstacle

The event was a significant step in understanding the specific needs and challenges faced by young people with visual impairments, ensuring that the product developed will be genuinely beneficial to them and the wider V.I. community in the future.

Student Oscar King was particularly impressed, stating:

'For me Glide feels so natural and I've kept saying throughout the event that I would believe them if they said they've sold it for years because it feels ready now. It's just so fluid and natural and for me something I would definitely look at in the future.'

Student Catrin Young echoed the sentiment:

'It was a great new experience. I never knew it was possible to have something like this. You think of different things that you need for accessibility but this is high tech and nothing that I'd thought of before. So it's great to have a go and learn something new. I think it's going to grow a lot in the future.'

Luke Buckburrough, Glidance Co-Founder, said:

'I'm completely blown away by the support, community and collaboration that we've experienced at The Royal National College for the Blind. Great numbers showed up today to learn about Glide and give us their feedback and insights. We're leaving with so much energy, passion, and more importantly real time feedback from a younger demographic.

'It's been really interesting to understand the differences in needs, the challenges and the things that they want out of Glide. It's really amazing to be able to travel around the world and meet all these individuals, from different backgrounds, demographics - hear of their wants, needs, challenges - and that's at the heart of our mission to understand and really listen to all the difference aspects that Glide needs to provide.

'Me and the team are just so pumped to be continuing this UK tour. This is our only day focusing on this younger demographic. it’s just amazing to know that Glide has a role both in its current iteration and what they want to happen next and we’re just so thankful and can’t thank you guys enough for the effort and time here.'

The visit underlined the importance of involving end-users in the development of assistive technologies, ensuring they are truly fit for purpose and meet the diverse needs of the community. RNC looks forward to seeing the continued development of Glide and its positive impact on the independence and mobility of V.I. people.

You can watch a short film about the demo day here: