[gps-talkusers] Article: US teenager invents navigation system for blind

"Shelley L. Rhodes" <juddysbuddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx> · Mon, 13 Jun 2005 14:39:28 -0400

Webindia123.com - India
Saturday, June 11, 2005

US teenager invents navigation system for blind

By IANS

Chicago, June 11 : A US high school student has won an award for his 
invention that allows the blind to navigate by using the Global Positioning 
System (GPS).

Teenager Ameen Abdulrasool recently won a $66,000 bonanza at the 
International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, for the 
invention.

He has also been awarded an all expense paid trip to attend the 
International Youth Science seminar in Stockholm during the Nobel Prize 
ceremonies in December.

Abdulrasool's prototype allows visually impaired individuals to navigate a 
pre-programmed route via GPS. The prototype has a headset, two bracelets, a 
personal digital assistant (PDA) and a control box.

Abdulrasool told IANS he was inspired to build the prototype because he 
wanted to help the visually impaired he had grown up with.

Abdulrasool, whose parents migrated to the US from Karachi, seems unaffected 
by his achievements and fame.

"His greatest asset is his humility," said Antoinette LoBosco, assistant 
principal of his school. "He is always kind to his fellow students. We are 
very proud of him."

Building the prototype took three years - Abdulrasool had to make the parts 
on his own as the prototype is the first of its kind.

"The PDA was the most expensive part. The rest I could scavenge from old 
computers and radios," he said.

Elder brother Saleem, who is studying computers in the University of 
Illinois at Urbana Champaign, helped in the project.

The gadget's accuracy, Abdulrasool said, depends on the number of satellites 
it can connect to. "In tests, I have found the prototype to be most accurate 
in the suburbs. In downtown Chicago, there could be a problem because of the 
tall buildings," he said.

The gadget gives turn-by-turn verbal directions too. "In addition, the user 
wears braces on both hands. If one has to take a left turn, the brace on the 
left hand will vibrate. An infrared sensor helps the machine detect 
obstacles. A beep, the volume of which will depend on the obstacle's 
distance, alerts the user," Abdulrasool said.

It cost Abdulrasool about $1,200 to build the prototype. "If I get support 
from some companies, it will be easier for me to distribute the final 
product," he said.

Abdulrasool plans to attend the University of Illinois this fall to study 
electrical engineering, biomedical technology and business management.

His hobbies include tennis and football and listening to techno music, pop 
and occasionally Bach.

http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=87548&cat=World

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