Related Sections: Medical
Combining a Wiimote and a walking stick
Sometimes I wonder if some things can really be upgraded using technology. Take the walking stick that blind people use, for example. It's pretty straightforward — you simply hold it in front of you to make sure you don't bump into things. Not much needs improvement there.
But hey, why not give it a shot, right? That's the idea behind the Tactile Wand, which is basically a Wiimote for blind people. Its small enough to fit in a purse and it uses a distance sensor to recognize objects in front of you. It vibrates when it senses an oncoming obstacle, with the vibrations getting more intense as it approaches. Fair enough, I guess, but just what was wrong with the walking stick again? It'll never run out of batteries, after all.
Project Page, via Gadget Lab
By ajw00 at 12:10 PM ON 03/06/08
So... what do you do when you get to the curb
By ajsw00 at 12:12 PM ON 03/06/08
So..... What do you do when you get to the curb ?
By bord at 5:47 PM ON 08/30/08
Too shallow... You need to work more on your design, blind walking sticks are not for only feeling the obstacles.. but also surface texture, shape and size of obstacles like curbs etc...
By designer at 6:15 AM ON 09/29/08
need deep thinking..blind people operate theirselves on the sense of touch,smell...so it is all about understanding the surface,texture
By sudhanwa at 6:18 AM ON 09/29/08
need deep thinking..blind people operate theirselves on the sense of touch,smell...so it is all about understanding the surface,texture
By Zul at 12:58 AM ON 04/03/09
Add a features where the object distance can be transfer into beep sound or even actual voice telling the distance, the depth/height of surface. You need earphone. Can try small solar panel as source of power or dynamo type of coil.
on your cellphone!
Text DVICE to 72434
editor@dvice.com
Zul:
Add a features where the object distance can be transfer into beep sound or even actual voice telling the distance,...More »