September 15, 2026: “Prix de la Canne blanche” Award Ceremony
VIRAS, the intelligent shopping cart developed at OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, has received the 2026 “Prix de la Canne blanche”. In front of around 50 guests, the project team accepted the “Oscar” of Switzerland’s blindness sector on Tuesday evening at Kinokoni in Zurich.
July 2–3, 2026: Davos Tech Summit
VIRAS took part in the inaugural Davos Tech Summit in Davos. The autonomous shopping cart was presented and demonstrated how assistive robotics can give blind and visually impaired people greater independence and control over their everyday lives. Visitors had the opportunity to learn about VIRAS and try it out themselves.
Südostschweiz also covered the robotics and artificial intelligence summit, featuring VIRAS as one of the robotic solutions designed for everyday use.
June 29, 2026: ZO-Online
Zürcher Oberland Medien accompanied Laura, a blind resident of Hinwil, on a test shopping trip with VIRAS at Migros Hinwil. The report shows how the intelligent shopping cart navigates autonomously through the supermarket, locates products and enables people with visual impairments to shop more independently.
VIRAS Wins the “Prix de la Canne blanche” – 20 Minuten Community Vote, June 2026
The public has decided: VIRAS, the intelligent shopping cart developed at ILT, has won the 2026 “Prix de la Canne blanche”. The project received by far the most votes in the public vote held by the 20 Minuten community.
The official award ceremony will take place on September 15, 2026, at 4 p.m. at Kinokoni in Zurich.
June 13, 2026: Tagblatt | Article with Video
A heartfelt thank you to @Tagblatt and Rahel Brändle for this article and video!
March 16 & April 22, 2026: Radio Life Channel
Good News / Feature
The lunchtime “Good News” radio segment on March 16 introduced VIRAS, an autonomous shopping cart that enables blind and visually impaired people to shop independently. The report explains how the cart uses sensors and AI to navigate safely through the store and avoid obstacles. VIRAS also recognises products and the user’s hand, providing audio cues that guide them to the correct product.
The feature on April 22 again highlighted the importance of VIRAS and its goal of making inclusive, independent shopping the norm as soon as possible. VIRAS is currently undergoing testing and has received predominantly positive feedback. For many people with visual impairments, the solution opens up new possibilities in everyday life and offers significantly greater independence.
Link to “Good News” on lifechannel.ch
March 12, 2026: SRF News – Schweiz aktuell
“VIRAS” Shopping Cart Helps People with Visual Impairments
A shopping cart designed to assist people with visual impairments is currently being tested at a Migros store in Hinwil, in the canton of Zurich. The idea behind “VIRAS” originated at OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences. “Schweiz aktuell” joins a shopping trip.
March 11, 2026: SRF Sport Para-Graf – The Paralympics Magazine
Chantal Keller from ILT at OST appeared as a guest on “Para-Graf” on SRF zwei. She introduced the shopping cart for people with visual impairments and joined the live discussion.
Independent Shopping with an AI-Powered Shopping Cart
People with visual impairments often face significant challenges when shopping and frequently rely on assistance. A research project at OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences addresses this issue: a newly developed shopping cart with integrated artificial intelligence aims to enable people with visual impairments to shop independently.
The smart cart works like a digital guide dog. It detects obstacles, guides users safely through the store and helps them find products. This technology opens up new possibilities for greater independence in everyday life.
During the live broadcast, Chantal Keller gave a brief demonstration of the autonomous shopping cart.
March 10 & 14, 2026: SRF Audio & Podcasts / Echo der Zeit
A heartfelt thank you to @SRF for the wonderful support through this coverage!
Listen to the SRF audio podcast from March 10, 2026, and read the accompanying article published on March 14, 2026.
Shopping with a Digital Guide Dog – AI Instead of a Human Companion
Full House at Digital Day Vaduz 2025 – 11/2025
On November 28, Digital Day Vaduz transformed the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein into a vibrant hub for digital innovation. The fully booked opening event welcomed 250 guests, while many more visitors explored digital technologies hands-on at the museum café until 10 p.m.
An interactive zone featuring AI, robotics and digital tools including VIRAS.
FAULHABER makes it possible: How VIRAS moves smoothly and jerk-free - 11/2025
FAULHABER drives for barrier-free innovation
Thanks to intelligent sensors, motorization and precise control – supported by FAULHABER technology – the cart detects shelves, avoids obstacles and thereby enables a barrier-free shopping experience.
One of the greatest technical challenges in the VIRAS project was in realizing precise localization and reliable 3D mapping in highly dynamic, often overcrowded supermarket environments – and to do it without external infrastructure. Another important feature for the shopping cart: That it can safely perform evasive maneuvers with respect to other people or movable objects in narrow, constantly changing aisles. To meet these requirements under real operating conditions, robust and high-performance hardware was essential.
Dalle Molle Foundation Prize - 28.10.2025
The Dalle Molle Foundation awards the project its ‘Quality of Life’ prize
The Dalle Molle Foundation recognises outstanding research and innovation projects. With its ‘Quality of Life’ label, it honours quality research that puts digital science and technology at the service of humanity. VIRAS won the Quality of Life Award on 15 October 2025. The project has thus also gained recognition from a foundation that has been doing pioneering work in the field of technology-assisted quality of life for decades.
VIRAS at OLMA - October 2025
Where artificial intelligence comes into play – our special exhibition at OLMA delves into the world of intelligent systems.
A wide variety of technological exhibits showcase the opportunities offered by algorithms and AI in agriculture, sport, healthcare and rescue services, as well as in our everyday lives.
VIRAS in OST Magazine – 26 September 2025
Shopping without sight with the AI shopping cart
OSTpunkt is the university magazine of OST – University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland. In each issue, we present interesting research and development projects from all OST locations in Rapperswil-Jona, St. Gallen and Buchs, as well as news from the degree programmes and continuing education. The focus is always on practical solutions to specific challenges in business and society.
The ILT showroom at SWISS AUTOMATION with its ‘look “n” feel’ was a resounding success!
This year's industry event, SWISS AUTOMATION, held on 11 September 2025 at OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, focused on the topics of artificial intelligence and automation. Around 170 high-profile guests from industry, science and politics took part and discussed the latest developments and their significance for practical application.
Innovation Booster Robotics
As winners of the Swiss Innovation Booster Robotics 2024, Prof. Dario Schafroth and Chantal Keller were able to present the VIRAS project in a video. The Innovation Booster Robotics is supported by Innosuisse.
VIRAS at Swiss Robotics Day
The Swiss Robotics Day is considered the most important industry event for robotics in Switzerland. In 2024, visitors were introduced to several OST projects. Agathe Koller, head of the ILT Institute for Lab Automation and Mechatronics, spoke about trends in robotics during her keynote speech.
Ten projects were supported by the Innovation Booster Robotics, three of which originated from OST. VIRAS was one of them and was presented to the broader industry for the first time on that day. At the OST booth, interested parties could also learn about another highlight project from the ILT: The Enhanced Hybrid from the MedTech Lab combines the advantages of a wheelchair and an exoskeleton, allowing paraplegics to stand up and walk upright in a wheelchair—without crutches, which are usually required for exoskeletons.
Master's Thesis as a Foundation
The VIRAS project originated from the master's thesis of Chantal Keller. In the Master of Science in Engineering program with a focus on Mechatronics and Automation, she developed the first prototype of VIRAS in 2024 at Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST) in Rapperswil-Jona.
PDF Master Thesis Robot-assisted Product Recognition for Blind and Visually Impaired People
