[tabi] [VICUG-L] [leadership] Students Develop Cane With E-Tags to Guide Blind
- From: "Lynn Evans" <evans-lynn@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 9 Aug 2009 21:02:17 -0400
August 3, 2009
Students Develop Cane With E-Tags to Guide Blind
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 3:33 p.m. ET
DETROIT (AP) -- A cane equipped with the technology that
retailers use to
tag merchandise could help blind people avoid obstacles.
An engineering professor and five students at Central Michigan
University
have created a ''Smart Cane'' to read electronic navigational
tags
installed
between buildings to aid the blind in reaching their destinations
more
easily.
''This project started as a way for me to teach students to see
and
understand the ways that engineering can be used for the greater
good,''
said Kumar Yelamarthi, the professor and project leader. ''We
wanted to do
something that would help people and make our campus more
accessible.''
During the spring term, Yelamarthi and five senior engineering
students
tested the cane, which is equipped with Radio Frequency
Identification
technology, similar to what retailers put on products to keep
them from
being stolen.
The Smart Cane contains an ultrasonic sensor that is paired with
a
miniature
navigational system inside a messenger-style bag worn across the
shoulder.
For the test, the students installed identification tags between
two
buildings on the campus in Mount Pleasant, Mich.. A speaker
located on the
bag strap gave audio alerts when the system detected an obstacle
and told
the user which direction to move.
Students wearing glasses that simulate visual impairment tested
the cane.
The students also created a vibrating glove to assist those who
are both
visually and hearing-impaired.
Yelamarthi said it's one of the first outdoor applications of
RFID and said
he plans for students in upcoming classes to further refine the
system
while
he seeks grants to speed the research.
The next step probably involves using the system in a wider area.
Down the
line, Yelamarthi wants to work toward integrating the Smart
Cane's data
with
GPS.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press
--
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