feelSpace GmbH
feelSpace GmbH, founded in 2015 as a University of Osnabrück spin-off, develops and sells the naviGürtel — a wearable tactile navigation belt using 16 vibration motors to provide 360° directional guidance for blind and visually impaired individuals in Germany, reimbursed by statutory health insurance.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersOsnabrück, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What feelSpace GmbH does
feelSpace GmbH is a privately held German medical-technology company headquartered in Osnabrück, founded in 2015 as a spin-off from the University of Osnabrück's cognitive science research program. The company designs, manufactures, and sells the naviGürtel (naviBelt), a wearable tactile navigation belt equipped with 16 vibration motors distributed 360° around the waist that encode directional information through haptic feedback. The product is targeted primarily at blind and visually impaired individuals in Germany and is officially recognized as a Hilfsmittel (medical aid), making it reimbursable through German statutory health insurance upon a physician's prescription; feelSpace handles the entire insurance application process on behalf of customers.
The company's revenue model combines direct-to-consumer hardware sales (including a 3-day postal test-rental program and private purchase), health-insurance reimbursement processing, and complementary distribution of third-party assistive products such as OrCam MyEye 2 (AI-powered mobile reading device) and the InnoMake Clip (obstacle-detection device). Additionally, feelSpace maintains an API/SDK on GitHub and supplies its belt to research institutions for sensory-augmentation, gait, and accessibility studies. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the company is bootstrapped with no documented external funding, operates with a small team of 6–10 employees, and is independently owned by its three co-founders (Silke Kärcher/CEO, Jessika Meignan/CTO, Susan Wache/CMO). Delivery, per terms of service, is limited to customers with habitual residence in Germany, anchoring a single-geography go-to-market.
feelSpace GmbH firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- feelSpace GmbH
- Legal name
- feelSpace GmbH
- Website
- https://feelspace.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- feelSpace GmbH, founded in 2015 as a University of Osnabrück spin-off, develops and sells the naviGürtel — a wearable tactile navigation belt using 16 vibration motors to provide 360° directional guidance for blind and visually impaired individuals in Germany, reimbursed by statutory health insurance.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
feelSpace GmbH industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Assistive mobility technology for the blind and visually impaired
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)
- SIC
- Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Assistive & Accessibility Input Devices (Switches, Adaptive Controllers, Braille Keyboards) (HDACAFAL)
Keywords
Where feelSpace GmbH is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Osnabrück
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
feelSpace GmbH business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- naviGürtel Hardware Sales: Sale of the naviGürtel navigation belt primarily through health insurance reimbursement in Germany. Customers obtain a doctor's prescription and feelSpace handles the administrative process with health insurance providers. Also available for direct private purchase.
- Product Rental/Testing: 3-day postal presentation service allowing potential customers to test the naviGürtel before committing to purchase. Rental agreement required.
- OrCam MyEye Sales: Distribution of OrCam MyEye mobile reading device for blind and visually impaired users, also covered by health insurance
- InnoMake Clip Sales: Distribution of InnoMake Clip obstacle detection device, covered by health insurance for blind users
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | naviGürtel via Health Insurance |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | naviGürtel Private Purchase |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 3-Day Test Rental |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
feelSpace GmbH product offering
Product offeringCore offering
feelSpace develops, manufactures, and sells the naviGürtel (naviBelt), a wearable waist belt equipped with 16 vibration motors that deliver 360-degree directional guidance through haptic feedback for blind and visually impaired users. The belt pairs via Bluetooth with a co-developed iOS/Android app that adds voice-input navigation, compass mode, and street-crossing assistance. The company also distributes complementary assistive devices (OrCam MyEye 2 wearable reader, InnoMake Clip obstacle detector) and provides a research API/SDK to academic institutions.
Product overview
feelSpace GmbH is a medical technology company that develops and sells assistive products for blind and visually impaired people. The core product is the naviGürtel (naviBelt), a tactile navigation belt that provides directional guidance through vibration signals. The product portfolio includes the naviBelt app for smartphone control (featuring voice input navigation), distributed third-party products (OrCam MyEye 2 for reading assistance and InnoMake Clip for obstacle detection), and a research API/SDK for academic institutions. The naviBelt functions both as a standalone tactile compass and as a connected navigation device when paired with the smartphone app. All products are designed for accessibility and are recognized as medical aids eligible for health insurance coverage in Germany.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- naviGürtel: The core product - a vibrating navigation belt for blind and visually impaired users that provides tactile directional information through 16 vibration units covering 360 degrees.
Products and services
- feelSpace naviGürtel (naviBelt) A wearable waist belt equipped with 16 vibration motors providing gap-free 360-degree directional guidance through haptic feedback on the stomach for blind and visually impaired users; functions as a standalone tactile compass and as a Bluetooth-paired navigation device when connected to the feelSpace smartphone app. Recognized as a German Hilfsmittel (medical aid) eligible for health-insurance reimbursement.
- feelSpace naviBelt App Barrier-free iOS and Android companion app co-developed with blind users that controls the naviGürtel, providing voice-input destination entry, navigation routing, compass mode, and street-crossing assistance via Bluetooth.
- OrCam MyEye 2 Wearable AI-powered mobile reading device distributed by feelSpace; uses a glasses-mounted camera to read printed/digital text and recognize faces and products, working fully offline. Designed as a complementary aid to the naviGürtel for blind and visually impaired users, also covered by German health insurance.
- InnoMake Clip Clip-on obstacle detection device distributed by feelSpace that delivers haptic or acoustic warnings for obstacles 0.5–4 meters away in the upper body range; can be attached to clothing, long cane, walker, or backpack, with up to 8 hours of battery and IP-rated water/dust resistance. Covered by German health insurance for blind users.
Quantifiable outcome
- Battery life of minimum 8 hours for all-day use
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use feelSpace GmbH
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
feelSpace GmbH technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability3 records
Feature6 records
feelSpace GmbH partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Osnabrück University of Applied SciencesminorCooperation partner in ID3AS project for design of smart digital assistant with tactile interface for seniors, examining tactile signaling in age-friendly technologies.
- University of OsnabrückcoreOrigin of feelSpace - research project started by Prof. Peter König in Cognitive Science to investigate whether humans can learn a new sense. The compass belt emerged as a means of transmitting directional information. Founders participated in research with compass belt and recognized commercial potential, leading to spin-off creation.
- German Institute for Textile and Fiber Research (DITF)minorCooperation partner in ZIM project 'RivTex' for improvement of stretchable cover of the naviBelt, working on improved production method for textile parts.
- AMOHR GmbHminorCooperation partner in RivTex project for naviBelt textile cover improvement.
- Kliniken Schmieder KonstanzminorCooperation partner in fastGait project developing tactile walking aid for Parkinson's patients to address 'freezing of gait' phenomenon.
- IHP DresdenminorCooperation partner in fastGait project for Parkinson's tactile applications.
- Inshoerance GmbHminorCooperation partner in fastGait project for Parkinson's tactile applications.
- OrCamminorfeelSpace offers OrCam MyEye 2 mobile reading device alongside naviBelt. Complementary product for blind users that reads text, recognizes products and faces.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
feelSpace GmbH competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sunu: Sunu builds the Sunu Band, a wrist-worn haptic sonar device for blind users that conveys obstacle and navigation information through vibration. It is the closest direct competitor in wearable tactile orientation aids for the blind.
- WeWALK: WeWALK is a smart-cane attachment that adds ultrasonic obstacle detection, navigation, and voice assistant features to traditional white canes. It targets the same blind/visually impaired mobility user as feelSpace's naviBelt.
- InnoMake: InnoMake produces shoe- and clip-mounted obstacle detection wearables that feelSpace also distributes in Germany. Both companies operate in the assistive haptic/obstacle-detection category for blind users and have an explicit distribution relationship.
- BlindSquare: BlindSquare is a leading GPS-based navigation app for blind and visually impaired users that feelSpace is integrating with for naviBelt compatibility. It competes as a software alternative and integrator for the same mobility workflows.
- Aira: Aira provides on-demand remote visual interpreting and navigation assistance for blind users through a smartphone app with trained agents. It targets the same mobility/independence use case as the naviBelt via a service rather than hardware model.
Broad incumbents
- HumanWare: HumanWare is an established global assistive technology vendor with Braille displays, magnifiers, and GPS navigation devices for blind users. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps feelSpace's orientation-aid category as part of a larger portfolio.
- OrCam Technologies: OrCam makes the OrCam MyEye AI reading glasses that feelSpace distributes in Germany. It is an established incumbent in the same blind-assistive category with overlapping customer acquisition channels and reimbursement relationships.
- HIMS International: HIMS International is a Korean-based assistive technology vendor producing Braille displays, screen readers, and magnification devices for blind users. It is a broader incumbent across the visually-impaired assistive hardware category.
Emerging players
- Strap Technologies: Strap Technologies builds a haptic wearable for blind and low-vision users that conveys spatial awareness via vibration, comparable to feelSpace's belt. It is an emerging player addressing overlapping use cases with similar haptic-interface approach.
- GoodMaps: GoodMaps builds indoor and outdoor accessible mapping and wayfinding software for blind and mobility-impaired users. It competes for navigation independence with feelSpace through a software-first model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
feelSpace GmbH social profiles
Digital presencefeelSpace GmbH compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
feelSpace GmbH financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
feelSpace GmbH leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
feelSpace GmbH funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
feelSpace GmbH M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about feelSpace GmbH
What does feelSpace GmbH do?
feelSpace develops, manufactures, and sells the naviGürtel (naviBelt), a wearable waist belt equipped with 16 vibration motors that deliver 360-degree directional guidance through haptic feedback for blind and visually impaired users. The belt pairs via Bluetooth with a co-developed iOS/Android app that adds voice-input navigation, compass mode, and street-crossing assistance. The company also distributes complementary assistive devices (OrCam MyEye 2 wearable reader, InnoMake Clip obstacle detector) and provides a research API/SDK to academic institutions.
Is feelSpace GmbH a public or private company?
feelSpace GmbH is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was feelSpace GmbH founded?
feelSpace GmbH was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is feelSpace GmbH based?
feelSpace GmbH is headquartered in Osnabrück, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does feelSpace GmbH make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. naviGürtel Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are product Rental/Testing, orCam MyEye Sales and innoMake Clip Sales.
Who are feelSpace GmbH's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sunu, WeWALK, InnoMake, BlindSquare and Aira. Broad incumbents are HumanWare, OrCam Technologies and HIMS International. Emerging players are Strap Technologies and GoodMaps.
Does feelSpace GmbH have an API?
Yes. feelSpace provides APIs and a comprehensive SDK for research institutions and developers to integrate the naviBelt into individual research projects. APIs are available on GitHub with support for connecting the naviBelt to custom applications. Research institutions receive comprehensive API documentation and assistance for connecting the naviBelt to their specific research projects. Developer documentation is at github.com/feelSpace.
What industry is feelSpace GmbH in?
feelSpace GmbH's product category is Assistive mobility technology for the blind and visually impaired. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDACAFAL, Assistive & Accessibility Input Devices (Switches, Adaptive Controllers, Braille Keyboards). Its NAICS code is 3345 and its SIC code is 3841.