Silvana Herrera, founder of MOV, received the Ingenias Latam 2025 award for developing an innovative sensory band that allows people with visual impairments to get around more safely and independently.
The daily lives of more than 850,000 people in Chile with some degree of visual impairment, and of nearly 80,000 who live with total blindness, face a constant challenge: walking safely in urban spaces.
For decades, the white cane has been the indispensable tool for avoiding obstacles at ground level, although it cannot warn of hazards higher up, such as tree branches or signs on public streets.
An entrepreneur from Talca seeks to change this reality. She is Silvana Herrera, CEO of MOV, a startup in Know Hub Chile’s portfolio. Her proposal is a pioneering technology that mimics the echolocation used by bats and dolphins to find their way in the dark.
The device consists of a lightweight band worn on the head that, using ultrasonic sensors and vibration signals, creates a mental map of the surroundings, freeing the user from relying solely on the cane.
From thesis project to award-winning innovation
The idea came about in 2018, when Herrera was studying Design at Universidad de Talca. After months of field observation, she discovered that many people with visual impairments found their way not only with the cane, but also through sounds and vibrations in their surroundings, using a mechanism similar to echolocation.
Inspired by that finding, she developed a first version of the prototype as part of her thesis project.
Since then, MOV has evolved through years of usability testing, technical improvements and collaboration with organizations of blind people. The device provides a 270-degree scanning field, with a range of up to four meters to the front and sides. This information is transmitted to the user in real time through vibrations around the ears and skull, offering a more complete and safer experience than the traditional white cane.
“What we want is for people with visual impairments to be able to walk more safely and independently, avoiding accidents along the way,” Herrera explains.
The tests carried out at Universidad de Talca with blind users have been rated as successful. Participants were able to get around without the cane and quickly understood how the device works. “It was very moving to see how they understood and used the prototype. In the surveys, many said they would buy it as a complement to the cane,” the researcher says.
International recognition
The social impact and originality of this technology led to Herrera receiving the Ingenias Latam 2025 Award, granted by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and Chile’s National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI). The award seeks to highlight women’s talent in innovation and intellectual property in Latin America.
“At first I thought there was no point in applying, because we don’t sell the device yet. But I understood that what is recognized is the innovation itself, rather than sales. For me it is a source of pride, and also a way to give visibility to work by women and from the regions,” the designer said.
INAPI director Esteban Figueroa stressed that “Silvana’s story is an inspiring example of how industrial property can turn an innovative idea into a concrete solution with social impact.”
Read the original article at https://elmauleinforma.cl/talquina-crea-tecnologia-que-imita-a-delfines-y-murcielagos-y-gana-premio-internacional-por-apoyar-autonomia-de-personas-ciegas/
