The SmartCane launched by IIT Delhi

New Delhi, India, March 6, 2014: SmartCane device is an  electronic travel aid which fits on the top fold of  the  white  cane.  It  serves  as  an  enhancement  to  white  cane  and overcomes  its  limitations  by  detecting  knee  above  and  hanging obstacles. For safe mobility, it is important that such obstacles  are detected early. The cane has other uses as a spatial awareness device as it can detect presence/absence of objects in the surroundings. Further,  as  compared  to  the  white  cane,  the  detection  distance  is increased from 0.5 meters to 3 meters.

It  informs about the presence of objects before actually touching the object with the cane and thus helps  in  preventing  unwanted  contact.  This  avoids  socially  awkward situations like collision with people while walking or unsafe collisions with animals or into trash. SmartCane device uses ultrasonic ranging to detect objects in its path and generates tactile output  in  the  form  of  different  vibratory  patterns. These vibrations  convey  the  distance information  and  thus  enable  the  user  to  negotiate  the  obstacles  from a safe  distance. With simple orientation and training, any visually impaired person who is a regular user of the white cane for mobility can benefit from this device.