Courtesy
Visually impaired people usually use canes for assisting walking. However, there is a problem with canes: they are used to detect objects on or near the ground, not things hanging high above the ground. A person might bump his head into a low hanging tree while the cane detects nothing. Kursat Ceylan, a blind Turkish designer, invented WeWalk Smart Cane that uses an ultrasonic sensor to sense obstacles as high as 170 cm above and vibrates upon detection. This feature may help avoid many dangerous situations of upper body colliding with objects. In addition, the smart cane has a mobile app that pairs with navigation apps, such as Google Maps. In this way, a user can get navigation through the cane with the phone in pocket. The smart cane also facilitates the search for nearby restaurants and bus stops. This invention can be quite useful for the 250 million visually impaired around the world.
Link: Website
Contact: Email
Location: Turkey
Mentioned: among the best inventions of the year by Time
Summary
Purpose
To make a cane that detects obstacles in a larger range
Idea
Add an ultrasonic sensor for sensing objects
Further Possibilities
1. A smart pillow that collects sleep information
2. A smart cane that does translation
3. An app that turns voice into text for the deaf
4. Glasses that help users see ultraviolet and infrared
5. A smart stove that turns on and off following recipes
Questions
1. What might be all the challenges that the disabled face?
2. What are all the data we need to collect around us?
3. What might be all the functions of a cane?
