MUNICH /AALEN, Germany
Approximately 85 million people worldwide depend on using wheelchairs. Many of them are not capable of moving their wheelchairs without additional appliances. The Munich-based company munevo GmbH is determined to support these people by providing them with the progressive munevo DRIVE system – an innovative proportional head control for electric wheelchairs based on the utilization of smart glasses. It enables users to operate their wheelchairs hands-free just by slightly moving their heads.
munevo wants to offer an attractive, easily wearable pair of everyday smart glasses to their users and has therefore initiated a cooperation with smart glasses producer tooz technologies GmbH. Founded in 2018, tooz is a joint venture of Deutsche Telekom and ZEISS. The company focuses on upgrading normal prescription glasses with digital virtual screens.
What is the cooperation of munevo and tooz about?
Users who may benefit from munevo DRIVE are people living with disabilities caused by multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or injuries to the upper spinal cord, to name just a few. And this is where tooz technologies step in: with their convenient everyday smart glasses that deliver content discreetly into the wearer’s field of view, they provide just the right solution. Integrated IMU sensors make their smart glasses the perfect addition to the munevo DRIVE experience.
“Combining munevo DRIVE with tooz Smart Glasses aims to strengthen the autonomy of people with significant mobility impairments. munevo and tooz are very excited to join forces for this cooperation. Our goal is to profit from each other’s expertise. By teaming up, we want to reach even more people all over the globe and equip them with our progressive devices – for more independence and freedom as well as a significantly improved quality of life.”, emphasizes Claudiu Leverenz, CEO of munevo GmbH.
tooz Smart Glasses and the munevo DRIVE system
The foremost feature of munevo DRIVE is safely steering and operating an electric wheelchair: two custom profiles adjusted to different environments guarantee for an excellent driving experience. The tooz Smart Glasses connect to the munevo DRIVE device via Bluetooth®. Built-in sensors capture the head movements of their user – and thus, enable them to steer their electric wheelchair solely by slight head tilts and nodding.
Additionally, the wearer gains full control over the settings of their electric wheelchair. They may adjust the appliance to individual needs and preferences. Pre-installed apps for navigation, health, messaging, weather forecasts and more support everyday life by displaying custom content within the wearers’ visual field.
Since the tooz optic can be cut and edged into various shapes, the smart glasses enable an individually adjustable fit whilst suiting most personal styles and preferences. Additional features like vision correction, custom coatings and UV protection provide an outstanding user experience on a day-to-day basis.
The tooz Smart Glasses are currently available as a developer kit for purchase in the EU, USA and China. A consumer product is currently under development for its release in 2022.
About munevo GmbH
The munevo GmbH team created munevo DRIVE to provide an intuitive, comfortable electric wheelchair operation option for people with significant mobility impairments. munevo’s mission? Empowering people! After the successful market launch of munevo DRIVE in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, the munevo team is continuing to strive for the sustainable advancement of their products and services.
Press contacts munevo GmbH
Markus Englmeier & Dana Meichsner
Phone: +49 89 55 06 49 04 / +49 89 21 52 94 331
Email: markus@munevo.com / dana@munevo.com
Website: www.munevo.com
About tooz
tooz technologies GmbH is a joint venture of Deutsche Telekom and ZEISS. On a mission to upgrade normal prescription glasses with digital virtual screens, tooz develops optical engines to provide cost effective, unobtrusive, ready-made smart glasses solutions. Innovative optical technologies for wearables by tooz unleash a variety of exciting opportunities across industries, in the health sector and for consumer applications.
Press contact tooz technologies GmbH
Verena Schuhmacher
Phone: +49 7361 591 1939
Email: verena.schuhmacher@tooztech.com
Website: www.tooz.com