Students present ‘smart’ cane for the blind and partially sighted

Birmingham City University students have developed a ‘smart’ cane for the blind and partially sighted. The cane would make it easier for visually impaired people to recognize friends and family, the university claims.

The so-called Xplor stick was developed by three university ICT students. They started working on the device after one of the students told about his grandfather. “My grandfather is blind and I know how useful this device can be for him. The smart stick uses facial recognition to indicate when a user approaches a friend,” he later explained.

The Xplor stick’s facial recognition software uses images of friends and family members stored locally on an SD card. The stick could recognize faces up to 10 meters away, although the exact location of the camera in the stick is unknown. As soon as someone you know is nearby, the walking stick with GPS functionality starts to vibrate. The blind or partially sighted person can then walk to the friend or family member with instructions given via a bluetooth earpiece.

The students at Birmingham City University claim there is a need for the device. Market research would have shown that there is a demand for a tool that uses technology while being lightweight and easy to use. They already presented their tool this year in Luxembourg and France. Presentations should also take place in Germany later this year, according to Birmingham City University.

Scientists have been working for some time now to help blind and partially sighted people recognize objects by means of aids. For example, Microsoft is working under the code name Alice on a headband that should make it happen. Sensors have been incorporated into the strap and the wearer is informed about the environment via an earpiece.