DEVELOPMENT OF AN ADVANCED BLIND STICK FOR ENHANCED MOBILITY AND SAFETY OF VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS USING IOT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/aej.v15.23290Keywords:
Blind Stick, IoT, obstacle detection, elderly assistance, assistive technologyAbstract
With the growing challenges faced by visually impaired and elderly individuals, particularly regarding mobility and safety, the development of advanced assistive technologies has become crucial. This paper presents the design and implementation of an Advanced Blind Stick (ABS) leveraging Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The ABS integrates multiple sensors, including ultrasonic sensors for obstacle detection, infrared sensors for fire and pothole/stair detection, a moisture sensor for puddle detection, a GPS module for real-time location tracking, and a thermistor for temperature monitoring. An Arduino microcontroller processes sensor data, providing real-time feedback via a smartphone application. The system also includes an emergency save our soul (SOS) button, allowing users to alert caregivers or emergency services during critical situations. The developed ABS enhances mobility and safety by incorporating advanced features absent in previous models. It uniquely detects puddle, monitors both ambient and user temperature, and retains essential functionalities such as potholes/stair detection, IoT integration, caregiver reporting, SOS, and fire detection. This comprehensive assistive device ensures real-time assistance, improved usability, and greater independence for users. Tested with visually impaired and elderly participants, the ABS demonstrated significant improvements in mobility, safety, and confidence. Its lightweight, cost-effective design makes it particularly beneficial for resource-constrained settings, offering an invaluable tool to enhance the independence and well-being of visually impaired and elderly individuals.
References
WHO. Blindness and vision impairment. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
Kaphle, D. Gyawali, R. Kandel, H. Reading, A. Msosa, JM. 2016. Vision Impairment and Ocular Morbidity in a Refugee Population in Malawi. Optometry and vision science. 93(2):188–93. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/OPX.0000000000000775
Natarajan, V. Yogeshwaran, M. Canessane, A. 2022. IoT based Smart Stick with Automated Obstacle Detector for Blind People. Proceedings of 6th International Conference on Trends in Electronics and Informatics (ICOEI). 536–40. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ICOEI53556.2022.9777174
Jeevitha, S. Kavitha, P. Keerthana, C. 2022. Smart Blind Stick Using IoT. International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology. 2(1):535–8. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.48175/ijarsct-3598
Ghosal, A. Majumdar, A. Dhar, P. Kundu, A. Mondal, A. Biswas, A. 2020. Smart Stick for Blind using IoT. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology. 7(5):12–4.
Rahman, M. Islam, R. Rashid, MH. IoT based Blind Person’s Stick. 2018. Int J Comput Appl. 182:19–21.
DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.5120/ijca2018917824
Tamboli, AR. Suryawanshi, AN. Bohra, AD. Pal, DD. Kapadnis, JY. 2017. IoT Based Smart Stick for Blind People. IJARIIE. 3(2):4949–52.
Shah, HR. Uchil, D. Rane, SS. Shete, P. 2017. Smart Stick for Blind using Arduino, Ultrasonic Sensor and Android. Computer Science Engineering Project.
Singh, AK. Rajarajeshwari, P. Rathika, R. Shobiya, B. Keerthi, P. Marieswaran, M. Common Smart Stick for Blind and Elderly People to Detect Environmental Factors and Free Navigation. 2024. 2nd International Conference on Biomedical Engineering Science and Technology. 388–400.
Wang, Y. Zou, F. Cegla, F. 2017. Acoustic Waveguides: An Attractive Alternative for Accurate and Robust Contact Thermometry. Sensors Actuators A Phys. 1;270. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2017.12.049
Robu. India’s Robotics, DIY, Engineering Online Store. https://robu.in/. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
Apu, A. Nayan, AA. Ferdaous, J. Kibria, M. IoT-Based Smart Blind Stick. 2022. Lecture Notes on Data Engineering and Communications Technologies. 447–60.
AspenCore. Thermistors and NTC Thermistors. https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/io/thermistors.html. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
Abdullah, RH. 2015. Design and Implementation of Ultrasonic Based Distance Measurement Embedded System with Temperature Compensation. Int J Emerg Sci Eng. 3(8):30–7.
