Student Engineers Develop Device for Visually Impaired to Help Them Navigate Obstacles Without Using a Cane or Dog

NEED TO KNOW

• A new device developed with the help of students from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology uses sensors and haptic feedback to help blind or visually impaired users detect obstacles independently

• Initial designs included glasses but evolved into a baseball hat based on feedback from blind or visually impaired testers

• Alum John Marum, who initially created the idea, said he aims to refine the device further and eventually bring the technology to market

New technology developed at Indiana University could help people with blindness or low vision better navigate obstacles.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) alum John Marum initially came up with the idea for the device, which would allow those who are blind to detect obstacles without the need for a cane or a guide dog, according to a March press release from the university. 

Marum, who is the founder of the nonprofit company AuralVision , shared that he came up with the idea after seeing how time-of-flight (ToF) sensors were being used in airport bathrooms to measure the amount of paper towels left in a dispenser and alert custodians when it needed to be changed.

"I began to think about how it would be possible to use that same sensor to measure distance to objects and relate that distance to someone who can't see, and then alert them to objects in front of them," Marum said in the release.

He worked with RHIT electrical engineering students Anuj Suvarna and Anica Cao, and computer engineering students Jada Hunter-Hays, Rhiley Epperson and Ethan Powell on developing the device. 

The first prototype, which can be seen on the AuralVision website, showed a pair of glasses with ToF laser sensors positioned in the front of the glasses and headphones attached to the temple to help with guidance.

However, the design for the device eventually evolved thanks to feedback from "two blind beta testers," who "suggested it would be more convenient to simply put a hat on when walking outside," according to Marum.

"I sent that feedback to the team, and they wrote a proposal to create a hat version of the device with haptic feedback that would include sensors that rest on the forehead and vibrate to indicate distance and direction of detected objects," he said.

The proof of concept for a baseball hat featured ToF sensors on the rim and built-in speakers on the sides. A microcontroller (computer system) and accelerometer, which measures the proper acceleration of an object, could be seen encased in the back of the cap with a battery that lasts 12 hours also attached.

According to a release, the system for the device is mobile, so it "can be used anywhere and is completely self-contained" and also does not require software updates or Wi-Fi to work.

Once they had the prototype in mind, Hunter-Hays and Powell conducted a focus group with blind or visually impaired residents between the ages of 70 to 99 at a Terre Haute assisted living community in order to get their input on the device. They provided feedback including that the "haptic vibrations may be distracting to some users."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"We definitely learned we need to think outside our age range when designing products like this," Powell said in the RHIT release. "Our generation has grown up with an oversaturation of information. So having something constantly buzzing with multiple sensors around the head is normal to us." 

"But for a more elderly user, that may cause confusion or headaches. The next iteration of this project could be to design around that feedback and give other options, for example changing the type of vibration pattern," he added.

The five seniors, who will graduate from RHIT after the winter quarter, left recommendations for future students to continue refining the device. As for what comes next, Marum said he hoped to continue working with the students in hopes of eventually bringing the technology to market.

Read the original article on People