Healthcare
Smart Cane Revolutionizes Blind Navigation Like Never Before
The Smart Cane: A Guiding Light for the Blind
Artificial Intelligence is all the buzz recently, and for good reason. Its application has included turning thoughts into text, and it will even be used to learn the “flying habits” of those who have pre-ordered the Doroni H1 flying car. For the past few years now, AI has also been used to help the visually impaired with the creation of the smart cane.
Smart canes revolutionize the ordinary white cane by using Artificial Intelligence to help the visually like never before. These canes can help the visually impaired detect objects by using flash memory, ultrasonic sensors, and touchpads. It can even inform the user when the next bus will arrive.
An estimated 250 million people are living with vision loss around the world, and smart cane technology could not have come at a better time.
The History of the Smart Cane
The traditional white cane was developed in the 1920s by James Biggs, an artist who had lost his vision in an accident. To protect himself from traffic he couldn’t see, he painted his walking stick white. This alerted drivers to where he was, and it quickly became a universal symbol for blind or visually impaired pedestrians.
Over a century later, the design remains virtually unchanged.
However, with the introduction of smart cane technology, change is happening. This exciting new revolution will make the world a safer and more welcoming place for those who live with vision loss.
Smart Cane Pioneer Riya Karumanch
One of the pioneers of the smart cane was a fourteen-year-old girl entrepreneur.
In 2018, Riya Karumanch was a ninth-grade student when she saw the need for a new device for the blind. The inspiration came to her as she observed her friend’s grandmother walk into furniture and other objects while trying to navigate with her traditional white cane.
This young lady noted that the traditional cane makes left-to-right sweeping motions across the floor which allows the user to detect anything on the floor level, such as a carpet. However, anything higher than that, such as a dining table, is beyond the standard cane, making it easy for the user to walk into it.
Riya Karumanch did a great deal of useful work raising awareness of the shortcomings of the white cane and researching how to use artificial intelligence to create a better option.
At around the same time, an organization called WeWALK had also been working on creating smart cane technology, and they have become very successful in doing so.
Kursat Ceylan: Founder of WeWalk
Kursat Ceylan, WeWALK co-founder, is intimately familiar with the needs of the blind. Kursat was born without sight. He has scars on his head from the multiple times he’s walked into low-hanging branches and other things his traditional cane could not detect.
So, he founded WeWALK and developed the WeWalk smart cane.
How Does Smart Cane Work?
The WeWALK smart cane technology comes in the form of a handle that can be attached to any standard cane. The smart handle combines several different forms of technology that can be activated using an app. The many features of the smart handle meet the various challenges of those with visual impairments.
Smart Cane Specs
- Ultrasonic Sensor: Smart canes use an ultrasonic sensor to detect objects above floor level and alert the user to avoid trips and falls. It uses artificial intelligence to calculate the exact location of the object. It then vibrates to alert the user of an object.
- Google Maps Integration: The WeWALK app is directly integrated with Google Maps to provide verbal, step-by-step directions to any given location.
- Bluetooth Smartphone App The cane can be paired with smartphones. It also includes a feature for finding the cane when it’s out of reach.
- Voice control: Voice recognition technology makes it easy to access the cane’s features with simple verbal commands. A verbal request to go to the grocery store will signal the cane to find and provide the directions to get there.
- Public Transportation: A verbal request will also allow the user to find out where to catch the next bus and when it will arrive.
Smart Canes Will Make Lives Better
Blindness and visual impairment create limited mobility and options. Even a stroll through the local park can be hard.
Smart cane technology will help to turn that all around. It will provide those who need it with a new freedom to experience the world around them in ways not possible before. It will allow them to go to appointments on their own without having to wait for a ride or companion. They will be able to explore their neighborhoods and even travel with more independence and safety than ever before.
Most importantly, though, it will bring equality and inclusion.
Jean Marc Feghali is the head of research and development at WeWALK.
“There is a big psychological part in this,” he points out on the FreeThink news website, “The psychological part starts with a bad experience or lack of mobility. It ultimately leads to disadvantages in society as a whole and a more segregated society, which is why we at WeWALK have actually focused our efforts on bringing the visually impaired into the 21st century, giving everyone an equal playing field.”
The Smart Cane Technology promises a brighter future for the blind or visually impaired.
What is the Future of Smart Cane Technology?
Smart Cane companies like WeWALK make their data openly accessible to other scientists and researchers. This information will result in the future development of better applications and technology for the visually impaired. This shared data will be used to continue to improve and grow smart cane technology.
Open Access AI is Becoming a Wonderful Blessing
Many companies are making their AI technology open access simply to provide help and benefits to those who need it. One such case is Iterate.ai, a tech company that provides a free AI weapon detection app for non-profit organizations.
WeWalk had this to say on their website:
“We want everyone in the visually impaired community to experience better mobility. So, even if you don’t own a WeWALK Smart Cane, you can still access our advanced navigation and exploration features by downloading the WeWALK smartphone app, available for iOS and Android.”
For the smart cane, we can foresee applications beyond the use of a cane. One day, the data collected could even influence the design of city infrastructure to make life better for everyone.
IC Inspiration
For generations, blindness was perceived as a barrier to most activities.
There are people, however, who refuse to let lack of vision get in their way. They are determined to experience anything anyone else can.
Then some go way beyond that.
Erik Weihenmayer lost his vision as a teenager to a condition called retinoschisis nut he refused to be left on the sidelines.
In 2001, he became the first person ever to climb to the summit of the famous Mt. Everest, something most of us will never do.
He wouldn’t dream of stopping there. He’s made difficult climbs all over the world, including each of the highest points on every continent in the world. He is one of only 150 climbers in history to accomplish this feat.
He’s written books about his adventures and made a name for himself as one of the most exciting and inspiring speakers in the world.
Most importantly, though, he’s sharing his incredible spirit with the world. He’s spearheading an organization called “No Barriers”. Its mission is to help all of us face whatever challenges we have with his kind of courage and optimism. He lives what he calls a “No Barriers” life and he wants to help others do the same.
Erik gives inspirational talks, provides educational materials, and offers scholarships.
Erik’s message is not limited to his blindness. He speaks to all of us when he says:
“I think this is the best time in history, the most precious time in history to be a pioneer, to reach out, to seize hold of adversity and challenges we face, to harness energy not only to transform our own lives but to elevate the world around us.”