There are an estimated 253 million visually impaired people worldwide, and the vast majority of these get around without any help from a guide dog or aid other than a cane. Now, Loughborough University Industrial Design and Technology student Anthony Camu has devised a way to help them with Theia, a handheld device that can guide users through outdoor environments. Theia works in a similar way to autonomous vehicles. It is designed to process real-time data, such as traffic density and weather, in order to guide users to their destination. To use the device, users say, “Theia, take me to …” and Theia does the rest. In order to ‘lead’ the users’ hands, Theia uses a form of force feedback that involves a control moment gyroscope to create a ‘leading’ sensation, similar to holding a guide dog’s brace. To navigate in real-time, the device combines Lidar and cameras to capture a three-dimensional image of the users’ surroundings.