Fedor Valentinovich Belomoev

Fedor Belomoev (born August 28, 1986, in Saint Petersburg) is a Russian entrepreneur and inventor. He designed a device called the "Braille Glove," which assists individuals who are both blind and deaf in perceiving visual and auditory information. He is the recipient of the "Impulse of Good" Award for contributions to social entrepreneurship (2022).
==Biography==
Fedor Belomoev was born on August 28, 1986, in Saint Petersburg. His mother is an artist who graduated from the V. A. Serov Leningrad Art School.
From 2003 to 2006, he studied philosophy and world art culture at the A. I. Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University. In 2019, he completed his studies at the York Entrepreneurship Development Institute in Toronto, Canada, specializing in Nonprofit Organization Management. He currently works as a lecturer at ITMO University in Saint Petersburg, teaching at the Faculty of Technological Management and Innovation. He is the author of the course "Creating Technological Business" for master's students and instructors and has conducted lectures and seminars on UX design.
In 2015, he collaborated with engineers to develop a special glove that converts speech into Braille vibrations, a keyboard communicator, and a messenger for the blind based on Telegram.
In early 2016, Belomoev and engineer Andrey Divov began developing a device called the "Braille Glove." The working principle was as follows:
* The glove connected via Bluetooth to a visually impaired person's mobile phone.
* The deaf-blind user wore the glove and touched their palm with their fingers, typing text in Braille.
* A special program deciphered the text and displayed it in a familiar form on the display.
* Conversely, a sighted person responded to the message verbally, the system recognized the speech, translated it into text, and then into vibrations on the fingertips of the glove.
In 2018, he sold his first business and established the company "4Blind," with the primary goal of expanding the opportunities for blind and deaf-blind individuals and assisting them in overcoming the challenges they face in everyday life. The "Braille Glove" gained interest in Japan and other countries.
Belomoev had an idea for another device similar to the "Braille Glove," but in the form of a tablet or smartphone. In October 2019, the project received a grant from "Skolkovo" and became a resident of the center. The new device was named "Perkins" in honor of the inventor of the six-key Braille keyboard for typewriters. Before releasing the product, Belomoev conducted pre-sales and found customers; the library for the blind, as well as private individuals from the Netherlands and Australia, ordered "Perkins." Later, the name "Perkins" was changed to "HaptiBraille."
In early February 2020, 4Blind signed a contract with the Dutch fund Innovative Power, which began selling Perkins на HaptiBraille.
4Blind developed another device, the Braille Pad, a tablet for blind and visually impaired people. The company announced it in March 2020, presenting it in the finals of the Toyota Startup Awards competition.
In 2021, the entrepreneur released two new devices: one helps blind individuals avoid falling and predicts in advance if there is a hole or pit ahead, while the other informs blind people about the battery status of any devices. Concurrently, the entrepreneur continues to develop the messenger for the blind called Bright Guide, which his team launched in May 2019.
Fedor Belomoev has designed numerous devices, methodologies, and programs for which more than 16 patents have been obtained worldwide (Canada, USA, China). He has also opened branches in Boston (USA) and Toronto (Canada).
==Awards==
* "Impulse of Goodness" Award for the development of social entrepreneurship in the category "Discovery of the Year" (2022).
* A.V. Suvorov-2019 / Le Prix Souvorov-2019 Award: l'avenir est à la porte à coté (Switzerland) in the field of innovations.
* Winner of the WARAKU SUMMIT (Japan, 2018).
* Finalist of the World Innovation Summit for Health (Qatar, 2020).
* Asian Entrepreneurship Award "AEA 2023" (Japan).
* Toyota Startup Awards (Barcelona, 2020).
* E&T Innovation Award (2020) 
* Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation (2022) NBP - Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation
Category:1986 births
Category:People from Saint Petersburg
Category:Inventors
Category:Entrepreneurs