The Helping Cane

Finished product

Inspiration

The cane is inspired by the lack of resources for making things accessible for people. An improved cane can help a visually impaired person navigate better; the world becomes a better place.

What it does

It is a cane that is used by blind people, but improved it many ways. Our helping cane alerts visually-impaired people about the obstacles in front of them. It communicates with the users through sound alert. It can help them walk with less accidents. The cane can sense a puddle preventing blind users from stepping onto wet surfaces. It also alerts objects that are 2 feet or less away, so they do not run into them.

How we built it

We used Arduino Nano, and Water Level Sensor to detect the water level, and utilized Ultrasonic Distance Sensor to detect the object 2 feet or less away. There is also a switch for on/off, and everything is powered by a Duracell Battery. We programmed a speaker to give two different frequencies for the water level and the distance calculator. We used 3d printing to make the handle and the tip of the cane. We used 0.2 inch thick wood for the body of the cane and used a laser cutter get the desired shape.

Challenges we ran into

Since there were no tubes available we had to laser cut four rectangular walls with edges that are like puzzle pieces so they can fit together. We also had to cut the wood twice because the wood was not labeled correctly therefore the pieces did not fit well. Since the wood pieces were slightly loose we had to use bolts, tape, and hot glue. We had a faulty distance sensor which we had to switch out because it was very inaccurate.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The 3D printed parts came out exactly the way we wanted them to, and they also fit perfectly. We did not have major wiring issues; most of the circuit worked perfectly. We also are proud of the design of the ridges of the wood pieces, to make them fit together.

What we learned

We learned about how to utilize different types of sensors and how to wire them correctly. We also learned the necessary steps to take in order to make your model into reality.