The floor you walk on is now smart

Technis, an EPFL spin-off, has developed a system that combines a connected floor surface with artificial intelligence to track people's trajectories as they walk through a shopping mall or convention center, for example. The goal is to use such real-time data to improve safety and gauge the success of a given event. Thanks to technology developed by startup Technis , the floors you walk on will soon be able to track exactly where you go and how you walk. The technology, developed from research carried out at EPFL, was initially used to make connected sports surfaces - but has since been enhanced for use in applications ranging from shopping malls and hospitals to event venues. Technis' innovation turns everyday flooring into smart systems that can collect and transmit data in real time. "We wanted to create a system that could determine the number of people entering and leaving an area in real time. Our connected surface is easy to install on any type of synthetic flooring and provides an array of data for recognizing and predicting visitor behavior," says Wiktor Bourée, CEO of Technis.