What kind of senses can add to canes?

Background:

A white cane is recognized as an international tool and primarily assists with the blind and visually impaired in their mobility. But we found out that even with the obvious signal they hold, their canes often get bumped into by the reckless pedestrians on their phones.

The Project:

The Smart cane is a physical computing project that my team and I worked with Visions Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired to provide enhanced feedback from the environment.

Smart cane designed for blind people’s safety in their walking environment. Our aim was to make a smart and friendly white cane for blind people to help them to communicate better with pedestrians and avoid hazard like puddles in a street. Smart Cane detects water through the cane’s tip and alert users to aware puddles and LED lights to give attention for smartphones' users in the street to avoid bumping into the cane or visually impairment. Smart Cane will be assisted the blind to live more independently with a pleasant experience.

MY ROLE

My roles: I conducted stakeholder interviews with the Director of Visions, blind and visually impaired people. For the smart cane design, I worked on two parts:

blink of an LED and test a vibe motor
Cut the water sensor

Toolkits: Adurino, Water sensor, LEDs, White Cane, Piezo, Spindle Sander Saw, Sketch

Team: Young Jang, Scott Cowell, Ning Xu from IxD SVA.

User Research

“I want to know everything that is happening around me.”

— Sharon, who is visually impaired

“People with smartphones often walk towards me because they are busy looking at their phones in the street.”

— Liz, who is a blind person

From research and conversations, we learned how blind people use white canes to navigate the streets. The cane primarily functions as a mobility tool. However, the blind told us that reckless pedestrians often bump into their canes.

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How does it work?

The smart cane utilizes sensors and light. A water sensor located in the tip of the cane identifies potentially hazardous conditions (e.g. puddles and slippery floor surfaces). When a detection is made, the user is alerted through a vibration in the handle. LEDs are strategically located at the end of the cane to catch the attention of pedestrians distracted by cellphones. Light output intensifies when the cane is actively in use (tapping). This increases awareness and minimizes the potential for collision.

a. Pizeo & LED LightsTapping the ground with the tip of the cane will result in the brightening of the cane’s light. — a. Pizeo & LED Lights
Tapping the ground with the tip of the cane will result in the brightening of the cane’s light.

b. Water Sensor & Vibe Motor & SoundThe water sensor is capable of detecting shallow puddles and will alert users with vibration and sound. — b. Water Sensor & Vibe Motor & Sound
The water sensor is capable of detecting shallow puddles and will alert users with vibration and sound.

Schematic Diagram

Prototyping/Feedback

We received positive feedback for the Smart Cane usability testing. We observed the pedestrians start noticing the smart cane and avoid pumping into the blind and visually impaired people, especially at night. In addition, visually impaired people also appreciated the puddle detection feature. They would like the cane to detect deeper puddles on the street for improvement. Overall, they felt much more powerful and secure when using the Smart Cane outside.

Smart Cane For The Blind