This project was my take on a DIY visual impairment aid that uses haptic and sound feedback. Basically it uses a distance sensor to measure how far objects are from it and then it beeps/vibrates accordingly (far away is slow vibrate/long beep delay and close up is fast vibrate/quick beeps).
Real quick I’d like to acknowledge that I’m not the first to do something like this, but I have added many things to it that are different from designs I have seen. This isn’t being used for commercial purposes but just as a guide for others to make them for people who would actually benefit from having them.
The difference between this project and others is this project uses one distance sensor (as opposed to many) to make feedback more specific and simpler to interpret, use of both haptic and sound feedback, the mounting of the device under the arm and not attached to the hand (keeps it free to feel where you’re going and use for daily tasks), and a few simple control buttons on the case (I also put the word for each button in braille next to them). What I really like about the design is how compact and sturdy it is. I wore it around for a few hours to get used to it and found it didn’t hinder too many of my daily activities (I found it fit in sleeves too!). See it in action!
For more detail: VIA (Visual Impairment Aid)
