HASSAN AHMAD

Age 15 | Delta, BC

Edited by Aaryan Patel

VIEW PDF

INTRODUCTION

I have designed an Engineering Innovation. My invention is the first wearable technology for the visually impaired that resolves most drawbacks of previous technologies. I have created this invention to aid the visually impaired in their day-to-day functions. The purpose of creating this model was to create inexpensive glasses allowing the visually impaired to navigate urban areas efficiently. In other words, I wanted to prevent the problem that the visually impaired face, which is frequently bumping into things. Before starting this project, I was deeply thinking about how challenging it may be for the visually impaired to navigate our world. For that reason, I conducted research. After discovering the true application of my invention, I modeled it in the form of a product. I wired, coded, and later tested my circuit to detect any nearby objects. I have programmed the circuit to react by sending a signal to the Buzzer Module, which will create a tone sound effect that will alert the user if he/she is about to hit an obstacle. I have coded this module to measure specific distances and respond to them with precise allocated tones. This function is what I believe gives my invention the realistic feature of object detection. I believe my invention can really make the world a better place because it provides the visually impaired with a solution that is practical, affordable, hands-free, uncomplicated, and non-frustrating.

BACKGROUND

Before starting this project, I was deeply thinking about how challenging it may be for the blind to navigate our world. I decided to conduct some more research. I found out that 282 million people are visually impaired globally, and 39 million are completely blind. Out of all these people, 55% are women. I wanted to do something to help the visually impaired, so I contacted a volunteer to interview. During the interview, I questioned her on her day-to-day activity, and what sort of things prove challenging for her. After analyzing her answers, I concluded it would be best for my invention to target those who have difficulty getting through doors, dodging walls, and moving around tall objects.

APPLICATION

My invention is the first wearable technology for the blind which resolves most problems of existing technologies. In today’s time, there are many instruments and smart devices designed for the visually impaired, however, most of them have certain drawbacks which become impossible to ignore. One key difference between my invention and previous technologies is how financially feasible my product is. Costing just under $25 to produce, there are no such devices available in the market that can be worn so easily and attain a cost so low. When used on a large scale, with improvements to the prototype, it will drastically benefit the community. Another feature of this product is that it would help users navigate areas without an external device in their hands, which could potentially bring annoyance. My model can simply be worn at heads-level just as regular glasses, and only requires little training to use. Another reason to use my model would be its hygienical benefit. Due to the increased risk of Covid-19, the health and safety of disabled individuals have become one of society’s top priorities. Many visually impaired individuals hold walking canes and other handheld devices which can potentially spread a lot of germs just from bumping into dirty surfaces or interacting with the ground. In addition to this, users take in a lot more harmful bacteria from just touching their devices for so long every day. Also, visually impaired individuals that use service animals to their advantage, are bringing potential harm to themselves as service animals release germs through their hair, hands/paws, and saliva. Based on the above research, my invention could help millions of people financially, mentally, hygienically, and most importantly, physically.

DESIGN CRITERIA

To work successfully, this device must:

be able to detect an object from 0 to 62 cm away from its lens
gradually increase in frequency and duration, the closer the lens gets to the object c. be in the form of an object that can be worn at heads level; ex. Glasses; Headband d. have a sufficient power supply; ex. Battery
not result in any further injury to the user
be lightweight and comfortable for the user to wear while walking
be untethered or easily removed/taken off

PROJECT MATERIALS

Arduino Uno R3 Circuit Board
Ultrasonic Sensor HC-SR04
5V Piezo Buzzer
9V Battery
Battery Clips
Black Cover-Up Glasses
Assorted Jumper Wires
USB Type A/B
Adequate Adhesives

DEVELOPING STAGE

From my self-designed circuit sketch, it is clear that the circuit extracts energy from the battery. The Ultrasonic Sensor is programmed to detect how far away an object is and educate the board on that distance. I have coded the board to then let the Piezo Buzzer know if there is an object at a nearby distance, and how far away it is. When the Piezo Buzzer gets the alert from the circuit board, it will then activate a sharp tone. I have located the buzzer’s speaker close enough to the ears so that the sound remains private to the user. In addition to this, I enhanced my code by using specific distances and allocating them with different tones. More specifically, if an object is detected greater than 62 cm the noTone function will activate. If an object is detected between 30 and 62 cm, a mild frequency tone (intermittent beeps) will take place. If an object is detected between 10 and 31 cm, a medium frequency tone (slower tone) will take place. If an object is detected between 0 and 11 cm, a high-frequency tone (long tone) will take place. For this function to occur, I learned lines of code, specific to the duration(ms) and frequency(Hz) of my buzzer module. It is important to note that I have created two identical circuits for each side of the user’s head. This will help in the accuracy of my invention, as now it is more specific as to what side the object is being detected at. I have coded the circuit on the Official Arduino Coding Software. After modeling, designing, and coding my circuit, I constructed it.

TESTING STAGE

To further test the efficiency of my invention, I conducted a short “obstacle course” type test (picture below). I wrote a letter of information to my visually impaired volunteer (supervised by the South Fraser Regional Science Fair) stating what my project is and what I am trying to accomplish. When I got permission from the individual to conduct my experiment, I met up with them and talked to them about my experiment. When they agreed to participate in my low-risk testing experiment, I educated them on what the experiment requires them to do. In short, I designed an obstacle detection test. Ideally, there were two parts to the test. One part was tested indoors, and the other, outdoors. I placed different obstacles a meter in front of the volunteer and asked them to walk across the object using the Blind Glasses. Before I tested each obstacle, it was important that I didn't tell the volunteer what the obstacle was. I started the timer when the volunteer was at least a meter away from the obstacle and stopped it when they successfully crossed the obstacle by a meter. I added up the time she took to complete each obstacle, obtaining a final time for each course. When each course was repeated, I also changed the placement of the objects. Items in the indoor course included regular items you might bump into such as chairs, a bed railing, a clothes cabinet, an open kitchen cabinet, wall corners, and finally a closed door. After this, I went outside and tested her with different obstacles. Objects in the outside course included a pole, a tree, a sidewalk curb, a parked car, a fire hydrant, and a real person. I repeated each course a total of three times to provide the most accurate results.

RESULTS

After collecting available results taken from the experiment I concluded that my smart glasses tested efficiently against both designed obstacle courses. Based on my results for the indoor course, it took the testing model approximately 6.607 seconds to complete walking past each object. Based on my results for the outdoor obstacle course it took my testing model approximately 6.527 seconds to complete walking past each object. (Note: An additional 2 meters were added to provide a specific start and finish for the stopwatch). These results began to prove that my invention was in fact, practical. To confirm this, I decided to run one more test, but this time, have the test model perform both obstacle courses with her usual walking cane (designed for the visually impaired). After analyzing these times I recorded the average of each course. For the indoor course, it took the testing model approximately 10.421 seconds to complete walking past each object. For the outdoor course, it took the testing model approximately 12.319 seconds to complete walking past each object. These results confirmed that my invention is truly more efficient than the visually impaired walking cane, which is the most common form of aid. In terms of the practicality of the detection system on my invention, it is roughly about 3.85 seconds faster and more efficient than the average tool the visually impaired rely on.

CONCLUSION

As this model is just a prototype, in the future, I would implement the use of specially designed boards for 3-D object detection instead of Arduino. This could help me combat encounters that could be misunderstood by my hardware. I would also use higher-quality ultrasonic sensors to make faster responses which could make the device capable of working more efficiently in crowded areas. I will also focus on implementing the use of sensors that have a bigger frame of detection. Another thing I would do would be to create a vibration attachment that is linked to the circuit so that the person wearing the glasses could be notified of an object through ways other than auditory stimulation. Also, in the future, I want to make it so that I could add even more sensors and buzzers to make it so that it can be even more specific on where the object will come in contact with you. I would try to include sensors located in different areas in your body such as the legs or the back of the head so that you could detect objects that are below or behind you as well. Also, I would convert the power supply to a rechargeable device with specific values to determine the charge level.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to give a strong appreciation to everyone that helped me during my project. I’d like to especially thank the South Fraser Regional Science Fair Committee for giving me opportunities to perfect my invention. I’d especially like to acknowledge my test model for the time and effort they put into helping me complete my project.

REFERENCES

Lighthouse, T. C. (2016, January 22). How Does Technology Help People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired? Retrieved December 21, 2019, from https://chicagolighthouse.org/sandys-view/assistive-technology/
Guide, T. B. (2020, March 23). Evolutionary Technology for the Blind. Retrieved December 27, 2019, from https://theblindguide.com/evolutionary-technology/
Arduino, O. (2019, October 16). ArduinoUno. Retrieved December 29, 2019, from https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/ArduinoUno
Makerspaces.com 21st, M. (2017, April 25). Arduino Uno For Beginners - Projects, Programming and Parts (Tutorial). Retrieved January 02, 2020, from https://www.makerspaces.com/arduino-uno-tutorial-beginners/
Burnett, R. (2020, March 24). Understanding How Ultrasonic Sensors Work. Retrieved January 12, 2020, from https://www.maxbotix.com/articles/how-ultrasonic-sensors-work.htm
Kruger, D. (2017, September 18). Anonymous. Retrieved January 18, 2020, from https://components101.com/ultrasonic-sensor-working-pinout-datasheet
Dejan, Nedelkovski, D., Siddharth, February, D., Rhydo, January, T., . . . Abba. (2019, December 15). Ultrasonic Sensor HC-SR04 and Arduino Tutorial. Retrieved January 19, 2020, from https://howtomechatronics.com/tutorials/arduino/ultrasonic-sensor-hc-sr04/
HowToMechatronics (Director). (2014, July 26). Ultrasonic Sensor HC-SR04 and Arduino Tutorial [Video file]. Retrieved February 18, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZejQOX69K5M&feature=emb_logo
Bhatt, A. (2019, July 11). Insight - How Piezo Buzzer works. Retrieved February 20, 2020, from https://www.engineersgarage.com/insight/insight-how-piezo-buzzer-works/
Stempedia. (2019, May 18). Piezo Buzzer. Retrieved February 24, 2020, from https://thestempedia.com/docs/evive/feedback-mode/piezo-buzzer/
Arduino, O. (2019, July 02). Tone(). Retrieved February 26, 2020, from https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/language/functions/advanced-io/tone/
Electronics, A. (2018, October 31). Use tone() with Arduino for an Easy Way to Make Noise. Retrieved February 26, 2020, from https://www.programmingelectronics.com/an-easy-way-to-make-noise-with-arduino-usin g-tone/
Arduino, O. (2017, February 16). PlayMelody. Retrieved February 26, 2020, from https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/PlayMelody
Academy, P. E. (Director). (2015, July 21). An easy way to make noise with Arduino using tone() [Video file]. Retrieved February 26, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_LMAgO14z0&feature=emb_logo
Updates, B. (Director). (2018, November 04). Buzzer with Arduino to Generate a Tone [Video file]. Retrieved February 27, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKD5Jhyg_cc
Electronics, H. (2015, August/September). Arduino UNO Tutorial 7 - Piezo Beep. Retrieved February 27, 2020, from https://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/tutorials-code/arduino-tutorials/arduino-tutorial7-piezo-b eep
J.Rank, S. (1016, February/March). All in a Circuit - What Makes a Circuit?, Battery Power, How a Battery Works, Flat!, Home Circuits, Conductors and Insulators. Retrieved March 01, 2020, from https://science.jrank.org/kids/pages/232/All-in-Circuit.html
Blum, R. (2014). Arduino Programming in 24 Hours, Sams Teach Yourself. Indianapolis, Indiana: Pearson Education.
Thorpe, E. (2020). Arduino: Advanced Methods and Strategies of Using Arduino. Independently Published.
Banzi, M. (2011). Getting Started with Arduino. Sebastopol, California: O'Reilly Media.

Smart Sight: A Vision of Hope