Case Study
Assistive Technology
Assistive Technology
Smart Stick
A project to develop a device to aid visually impaired individuals in navigation and obstacle detection in urban environments. I worked on creating a prototype which used bluetooth as a means of locating the device indoors.
I started by researching methods of triangulating position indoors using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons. After testing various algorithms, I implemented a multilateration approach that allowed the smart stick to estimate its position based on signal strength from multiple beacons placed in the environment. This enabled users to receive real-time feedback on their location within indoor spaces such as malls or metro stations.
For the hardware design, I selected the ESP32 microcontroller due to its built-in BLE capabilities and low power consumption. I tested different methods of setting them up as BLE beacons and optimized their placement for maximum coverage and accuracy. Their position data was also stored as a grid within a room. The smart stick would then compare the received signal strengths to this grid to estimate its location.
I created a basic android app using python that would connect the phone to the BLE beacons and relay the signal strength data to the smart stick via serial communication. The phone would then process this data to assist in accurate indoor positioning. However, BLE on its own was not sufficient for obstacle detection. I worked on investigating other methods such as the implementation of UWB (ultra wide band) for more precise ranging and NFC for short-range object detection.
Due to the time constraints of the project, I was unable to fully integrate these additional technologies into the prototype. However, I documented the research and proposed designs for future iterations of the smart stick that would incorporate these features. Overall, this project provided valuable experience in hardware prototyping, wireless communication, and assistive technology design. I look forward to continuing development on the smart stick to create a more comprehensive solution for visually impaired navigation.
In the future, I plan to create similar projects that focus on using technology to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities. The code I prototyped and the algorithms I researched are available on GitHub for others to build upon.