Guiding Cane

A collapsible cane for people with visual impairments that lets a guide lead them while keeping a social distance. I built its navigation system.

Type: Hardware
Team: 6 people
My part: Navigation system
Stack: Arduino UNO, C++, AutoCAD, 3D printing
Code: GitHub

3D render of the collapsible guiding cane — CAD render. The user holds the narrow end on the left.

Overview

Our team designed and built a collapsible guiding cane for people with visual impairments that keeps the guide and the user a safe distance apart. The guide holds one end and the user holds the other.

What I built

I built the navigation system, which lets the guide tell the user where they're going without speaking. The guide's end has two buttons wired into an Arduino, and the Arduino drives a vibration motor in the user's handle.

Signals

One pulse: turn right

Two pulses: turn left

Three pulses: about to stop

Why vibration

Spoken directions get lost in loud places. A pulse in the handle still gets through.

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