Manchester engineer develops smart cane for the blind

Mobility tool senses environment and transmits audio warnings to the user

A researcher from the University of Manchester has developed a prototype of a sensor-based cane to aid the blind and visually impaired.

PhD student Vasileios Tsormpatzoudis has added a low-cost embedded computer that functions in a similar way to a car parking sensor. An ultrasonic ball connected to a cane wirelessly measures the distance to approaching objects and converts this data into an audio signal. The device enables the user to gauge the object distance from the frequency of the sound. The user can hear the sounds using headphones. 

Tsormpatzoudis said: “The mySmartCane allows visually impaired people to sense their environment beyond the physical length of their cane. The user is alerted to approaching objects using gentle audio, rather than waiting for the cane to physically bump into the object. Navigation is therefore easier and much faster.

“In preparation for the project, I conducted many conversations with existing cane users. The key takeaway was that my modernised cane had to be simple and low-cost, so I used 3D printing and cheap sensors to create an ultrasonic sensory ball, which attaches to the bottom of most existing canes.

“I do have many ideas to refine the design further. For example, I want to add an additional sensor to detect overhead obstacles such as sign-posts or doorways which could cause injury and are impossible to detect with a normal cane. Another innovation could be using vibration rather than sound.” 

Tsormpatzoudis was inspired to develop mySmartCane after witnessing his mother’s retinis pigmentosa, a hereditary eye disorder which affects the retina.