Fujitsu has developed a walking stick that can give directions, monitor health, and even contact family members and medical services.

The Next Generation Cane, displayed last week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, is fitted with GPS, WI-FI, Bluetooth, and 3G, as well as sensors to monitor heart rate and temperature. The companion app can be used to map out a route which guides the user as they walk by displaying directions on the handle and vibrating if a wrong turn is taken. The stick, in turn, sends updates back to the app so family members can keep track of the whereabouts of the user, and it will even notify the emergency services in the event of a fall or a dramatic change in vital signs.

The development of the cane began after Fujitsu ran a competition in 2011 to design lifestyle gadgets for the year 2020, awarding Lithuanian designer Egle Ugintaite for his futuristic walking stick capable of navigation and health monitoring. Just two years later, Fujitsu’s laboratories development group decided to put several working prototypes on display “to show what innovative companies like Fujitsu may be able to offer in the future”, according to the company’s PR department.

The Japanese company’s decision to invest in this kind of research is set against the country’s ageing population - currently has the highest proportion of senior citizens in the world.

There is no plan to market the cane right away though Fujitsu said they would keep us informed of any further developments. That big tech companies are prepared to invest in this kind of research and development for no immediate gain is, surely, a sign of industry commitment to the mobility challenges of the future. What do you think?