Market need for Sensor Stick
People whose vision is impaired have been using guide dogs or canes to walk freely. Both aids take the use of one hand. Invention of a new technology could reverse all these problems.
Visually impaired people around the world have been estimated to be around 40 to 45 million. In the past years, there has been no alternative solution for the guide dog or cane aids. Different types of canes have been designed; some of them are made of sophisticated technology while others are simply made to allow blind people feel objects in their pathway. However, these sticks can only detect objects on the ground, and they require the user to be constantly active. Guide dogs have proved to be somehow effective but have limitations of their own. The greatest disadvantage is their partial colorblindness. Therefore, they cannot differentiate between colored obstacles such as street signs; in any urban environment, this could be the deadliest disadvantage (Baltes, Göpel & Hesse, 1996).
This paper provides an alternative solution to blind people by using a sensor stick that helps them in walking. The stick has an electronic sensor that helps blind people to detect obstacles along the way. The sensor stick enables users to detect any material available in the way such as metal, human being, wood, glass, and concrete. The stick can detect obstructing materials in a 80cm range. The stick is portable and small in design, and this makes it more comfortable for blind people to carry it around (Baltes, Göpel & Hesse, 1996).
The market needs this device because it is an excellent innovation for the blind people; there will be no more use of classic long sticks. This new technology operates by detecting the objects around and raising an alarm for the blind person. Eventually, it avoids any obstacles and gives him/her time to prepare in advance. With this innovation, people whose vision is impaired will not require an aid to give them assistance in foreseeing the pathway and any obstacles in front of them. The sensor stick device is designed specifically for the blind people helpful in detecting anything encountered within a certain range. The stick comprises of a compact system, which is extremely useful (Baltes, Göpel & Hesse 1996).
How it works
Assuming that a blind person is supposed to meet a friend at Bugis. The sensor stick will prompt the user immediately the friend arrives at the location. The blind user would be wearing an earpiece at that moment. The user will be presented with a menu to make a call to the friend, ignore the message, or look for the friend. If the blind person decides to find the friend, there will be an audio message prompting him about how far he is from the location. There will be a navigator converting GPS map direction so that points towards the right direction to follow. As the user leads to Bugis, there will be a warning sound whenever the user is almost bumping in to an obstacle. This is because of the ultrasonic sensor. The device has an inductive charger, and it will rescue the user from a lot of trouble since they will not have to locate and plug a cable into the device manually. In order to charge the device, the user will only place the detachable smart phone on the receptacle (Baltes, Göpel & Hesse, 1996).
Conclusion
This new device is user friendly and helps the blind people to make use of their both hands, unlike previous solutions. This is a smart solution for a big problem. The invention of this new technology s predicted to revolutionize the lives of the blind people.
Reference
Baltes, H., Göpel, W. & Hesse, J. (1996). Sensors update. Michigan: VCH.
