At just 24 years old, 
Durban entrepreneurs Landile Mabele and Jabu Swaartbooi are using technology to improve mobility for the blind and visually impaired.
Their product, the Navwok Smart Cane, is a smart cane designed to improve safety and independence. Using sensors, the device detects obstacles and alerts users through gentle vibrations or voice prompts.
It also includes navigation features that guide users through unfamiliar spaces. Connected to a companion mobile application, the cane allows users to access routes, settings and updates easily.
In an interview with Vuk'uzenzele, Mabele said the inspiration for Navwok came in 2022 when a close friend lost his eyesight to a medical condition, leading him to become dependent on his family for mobility and physical space navigation.
“I thought hard about how I could use my skills in technology to improve his life. As someone who worked in government statistics, His typical day -to-day work involved working on a computer, but mobility was his biggest problem. My solution was to start Navwok,” he said.
The cane’s mobile application adds another layer of accessibility through voice-guided navigation.
The app works with prompts that help users to navigate their way to their desired destination by working out a route, guiding them at specific points and calculating steps that they will take to arrive.
Mabele describes himself as a self-taught software technician with a background in electronics.
Developing the technology was not without challenges, and Mabele said; “The journey has been really hard because at first we designed the product from our own perspective. Designing something for the visually impaired community needs to be something that is done with them in mind throughout all steps and understanding the challenges they have.”
“The very first prototype proved the concept but it had a lot of limitations. This is our fourth iteration and had to be inclusive of their reality,” he explained.
Navwok has received support from organisations including the SAB Foundation, University of the Witwatersrand, mLab Southern Africa and the Technology Innovation Agency.
For more information on Navwok, https://tuksnovation.co.za/portfolio/navwok/
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