High-quality tactile guidance matting system for the blind and visually impaired

- Tactile thanks to differently high support strip sections

- Better perception thanks to highly contrastive colours

- Patent-protected since 2013

- For heavily to extremely heavily used building entrances

- Fully integratable into entrance mat systems

Lingen, 15th December 2014 – emco Bau''s wide range of products has now been expanded to include a tactile floor guidance system for the blind and visually impaired. Their new product, the emco 522 TLS, which is suitable for use indoors and in covered outside areas, can be fully integrated into both the Lingen-based manufacturer''s entrance mat systems and into all common floor coverings. Provided with tactile floor information, the guidance system helps users find their way about in building entrances and to find doors, stairs or lifts. The product, which has been patent-protected since 2013, has slightly differently high mat support profiles arranged in the walking direction which can be felt both with the sole of the foot and a blind person''s stick when walked over. Visually impaired people who are able to detect differences in brightness are further helped to see the difference between the footway and adjacent surfaces by the contrastive colours of the guidance system. Furthermore, the optional integration of a rectangular field of perception that indicates a turning or a change of direction without using a guide surface is also possible. The tactile floor guidance system was designed for heavily to extremely heavily used entrance areas and is suitable for use in public and semi-public facilities, such as administration buildings, schools, shopping centres, railway stations and airports.

“Blind and visually impaired people are forced to rely on tactile floor information to be able to safely and effectively move around unfamiliar environments by themselves,” explains Carsten Niehoff, Sales Director and authorised company representative at emco Bau. “This is why as far back as the end of 2012 we had the idea of combining a suitable guidance system with our high-quality entrance mat solutions. After an intensive development phase of several months we can now present a perfectly refined system to fully meet the needs of the visually impaired without inconveniencing others in any way.”