Smart electronic mobility solutions, including canes and IoT sensors, can help visually impaired people avoid obstacles and walk safely in challenging outdoor environments.

Walking outdoors can be challenging for the visually impaired, who must contend with physical barriers, rough terrain, and other pedestrians. The challenges are even more significant in urban environments, where traffic and busy intersections can be daunting and potentially dangerous for walkers.

In the past, visually impaired people have relied on common aids and measures to help them stay safe while ensuring mobility. Guide dogs act as a person's eyes and are trained to guide their owners through city streets, on public transportation, or through stores, among other things. In addition, canes help the visually impaired travel safely by informing the user of obstacles along the way.

Technology can make the visually impaired more confident. Electronic mobility devices use ultrasound to reflect obstacles directly in front of a visually impaired person; for example, head-mounted devices use ultrasonic sensors to detect objects and then communicate obstacles through slight vibrations. Other devices, including the Ray Electronic Mobility Aid for the Blind, a handheld device that can be used with a cane, alerts the user to obstacles up to nine feet away through sound signals or vibrations.

     GPS-Based Solutions

Recently, devices have become available that use GPS technology to help visually impaired individuals walk. These units use satellite technology to provide auditory feedback to the individual about their location, direction of travel, environment and route. Some GPS-enabled features can be integrated into a smartphone, Braille notetaker, or other mobile device, while others can be used independently.

Some applications for cell phones include WalkyTalky, which takes walking directions directly from Google Maps and reads the directions aloud. Another option is Intersection Explorer, a touch exploration app that speaks the layout of streets and intersections when the user touches the map and moves his/her finger on the phone or tablet to help visually impaired people get a sense of the neighborhood before they go out and on the go. However, these GPS devices are not sufficient to alert to obstacles or dangerous intersections.

     Intelligent Assistive Technology

One of the latest developments in assistive technology for the visually impaired is the smart cane, which can be used in conjunction with other technologies. The WeWalk Smart Cane is an IoT-based device that detects obstacles (e.g., easily overlooked tree branches at the base of the cane, etc.). Additionally, the cane can be paired via Bluetooth with the WeWALK app on your iOS or Android device to use WeWALK's smart features.

These include: finding your current location and discovering, saving and navigating to new locations. There is also a special layer built on top of the map service that provides easier access to navigation. weWalk can also tell users about restaurants, stores, bus stops, and schedules, and it has integrated voice assistant functionality.

Students at the Ohio State School for the Blind tested a smart paint that can be used in crosswalks to help blind students walk more safely around campus. The paint was paired with sensors mounted on the students' smart canes to let them know when they reached the boundary of the crosswalk. The paint uses rare earth nanocrystals that emit a unique light signature, and sensors mounted on the tips of the canes can be activated by this light and read the information. At crosswalks, the sensor-equipped smart cane can sense the paint and also communicate with smart cars. The smart cane can also be used to alert vehicles when a user is in a crosswalk.

The solution relies on an integrated framework with an IoT architecture customized for smart canes. The architecture includes edge technology, gateways, network connectivity, middleware and applications.