Case Study: IBM helps a blind ultra-marathon runner achieve independent desert navigation with Cloud Pro

How IBM's app helped a blind ultra-marathon runner cross the Namib desert

IBM worked with Cloud Pro’s Bluemix Garage to help blind ultra-marathon runner Simon Wheatcroft tackle a 150-mile challenge across the Namib desert. His challenge was staying on course independently in extreme conditions, so IBM and Cloud Pro needed a highly accessible, fast-built solution that would guide him in real time.

Cloud Pro and IBM developed a smartphone app using the Bluemix cloud platform that tracked GPS and used beeping alerts to signal when Wheatcroft drifted left or right. Built in just eight weeks and tested continuously, the app enabled him to run 100 miles—two-thirds of the route—before heat forced him to stop, giving him greater independence and confidence for future races.

IBM

Roger Williams

Bluemix Garage EMEA Head