Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Could I get some feedback on an assistive device I'm working on? (self.Blind)
submitted by UnsolicitedPeanutMan
Hi all! I hope your day is going well. I'm currently working on a device that will help those that are blind or visually impaired. Essentially, it's a pair of glasses with an ultrasonic/laser sensor attached to the front. The closer the user gets to an obstacle, the faster a buzzer will buzz (I'm also looking into a vibrating motor because I know hearing the actual environment is quite important). These glasses have a range of around 12 feet on ultrasonic mode and 120 feet on laser mode. They would have to be used in conjunction with a walking stick since they can't really detect irregularities in terrain. It will be affordable at around $50/pair.
My question is -- would the blind community actually find use out of this device? Are there any obvious things I'm missing that would make my product better?
My question is -- would the blind community actually find use out of this device? Are there any obvious things I'm missing that would make my product better?
[deleted] 3 points 3y ago
[removed]
UnsolicitedPeanutMan [OP] 1 points 3y ago
Hopefully it can supplement their traveling experience a little bit. Thank you very much for the feedback.
BenandGracie 3 points 3y ago
This would not be useful for me. I am totally blind and I use echo location, so I wouldn't need this. Also, other products do the same thing. You are like the third person in two weeks to post something about this tech.
It might be useful for other people, but I would have to say no.
It might be useful for other people, but I would have to say no.
UnsolicitedPeanutMan [OP] 1 points 3y ago
I see your point but wouldn’t a pair of glasses like these be helpful for blind people that haven’t/couldn’t learn echolocation? After all, the sensor/buzzer combo acts as a sort of synthetic echolocation. I could be entirely wrong though, so please feel free to let me know.
I understand that I’m not the first person to post about this technology but from what I’ve seen, most of the assistive devices are either poorly thought out or overpromise on what they can achieve. Plainly, my glasses just offer a blind person the ability to detect obstacles 12 feet ahead of them. The glasses in no way replace a walking cane, rather, they just give the user more spatial awareness of what’s in front of them. They are well built and incredibly affordable at $50 (in comparison to the other products I’ve seen) and if the buzzing/vibrating annoys them, it can be switched off by a quick press of a button.
My goal is genuinely to help as many people as possible — I’m not looking to put this on an application or to make money, it’s just something I was inspired to create. Have a great weekend!
I understand that I’m not the first person to post about this technology but from what I’ve seen, most of the assistive devices are either poorly thought out or overpromise on what they can achieve. Plainly, my glasses just offer a blind person the ability to detect obstacles 12 feet ahead of them. The glasses in no way replace a walking cane, rather, they just give the user more spatial awareness of what’s in front of them. They are well built and incredibly affordable at $50 (in comparison to the other products I’ve seen) and if the buzzing/vibrating annoys them, it can be switched off by a quick press of a button.
My goal is genuinely to help as many people as possible — I’m not looking to put this on an application or to make money, it’s just something I was inspired to create. Have a great weekend!
BenandGracie 1 points 3y ago
Maybe, but people who can't use echo location just don't use it. Echo location is just one skill someone might use to assist with cane travel. I do like your price per unit. Like I said earlier, this device wouldn't work for me, but it might for someone else.
Superfreq2 2 points 3y ago
For the price? That's pretty amazing!
I wonder how large the radius of the ultrasonic beam is, since I'd love to have a head height detection option just encase, but it would be nice to have something for the chest as well.
I think that weatherproofing, easy battery replacement, and the ability to adjust all settings or troubleshoot problems while fully blind are important things to think about.
I would also hope that the vibration wasn't too strong, or could be tuned to suit one's preference, though I'd imagine that would cost more.
Tactile markers to differentiate controls, and if possible a braille instruction sheet with an audio/video tutorial available would be of great importance too I think.
I wonder how large the radius of the ultrasonic beam is, since I'd love to have a head height detection option just encase, but it would be nice to have something for the chest as well.
I think that weatherproofing, easy battery replacement, and the ability to adjust all settings or troubleshoot problems while fully blind are important things to think about.
I would also hope that the vibration wasn't too strong, or could be tuned to suit one's preference, though I'd imagine that would cost more.
Tactile markers to differentiate controls, and if possible a braille instruction sheet with an audio/video tutorial available would be of great importance too I think.
UnsolicitedPeanutMan [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Those are all excellent ideas, thank you so so much! I could actually very easily make the vibration changeable to ones preference as well as adding tactile markers for the controls. I already started working on a Braille instruction sheet but the audio/video tutorial would also be super helpful. The glasses have a 15 degree “cone” of vision — it can easily detect both head and shoulder level obstacles but I’m not sure about the chest. I’ll try to work on something to solve it. Have a great weekend!
Superfreq2 2 points 3y ago
Seems like your pretty on top of things!
I forgot to mention, a way to check the battery status [even if only in a general way] on the glasses them selves would be great.
For instance, tap the power button instead of holding it down for 2.5 seconds to power off, and you get 4 quick vibrations for 100%, 3 for 75% ETC.
Some kind of warning, such as a rapid heartbeat vibration repeated 3 times for below 10% for instance would be great too.
I hope these are quite durable and relatively well balanced as well [even if you have to use a weight to even it out I'm sure that would be appreciated[ and I can tell you that I'd happily pay up to a hundred USD without much consideration for something like that, and I believe most blind people could do between 75 and 100 for something this useful quite easily as well.
I'm also pretty sure that you wouldn't have a huge amount of trouble getting resellers to carry this as it doesn't really directly compete with the Buz clip or Sunu band since those are warn differently.
I know your probably months or years off from that but here is a list of well known resellers to talk to when your ready.
Dedicated retailers include MaxiAids, LS&S, irie-at, Independent Living Aids, The braille superstore, Beyond Sight, VisAbility Store, Woodlake Technologies, The low vision store, Vision aid systems, CTECH Low Vision, "The shop at the sight center", The Carroll Store, and the NFB shop.
I forgot to mention, a way to check the battery status [even if only in a general way] on the glasses them selves would be great.
For instance, tap the power button instead of holding it down for 2.5 seconds to power off, and you get 4 quick vibrations for 100%, 3 for 75% ETC.
Some kind of warning, such as a rapid heartbeat vibration repeated 3 times for below 10% for instance would be great too.
I hope these are quite durable and relatively well balanced as well [even if you have to use a weight to even it out I'm sure that would be appreciated[ and I can tell you that I'd happily pay up to a hundred USD without much consideration for something like that, and I believe most blind people could do between 75 and 100 for something this useful quite easily as well.
I'm also pretty sure that you wouldn't have a huge amount of trouble getting resellers to carry this as it doesn't really directly compete with the Buz clip or Sunu band since those are warn differently.
I know your probably months or years off from that but here is a list of well known resellers to talk to when your ready.
Dedicated retailers include MaxiAids, LS&S, irie-at, Independent Living Aids, The braille superstore, Beyond Sight, VisAbility Store, Woodlake Technologies, The low vision store, Vision aid systems, CTECH Low Vision, "The shop at the sight center", The Carroll Store, and the NFB shop.
UnsolicitedPeanutMan [OP] 1 points 3y ago
I love the battery percentage idea and the glasses will definitely be built to last. Thank you so, so much for the price point/list of resellers, they’ll be incredibly helpful. Could I PM you if I come up with any other questions? Have a great week :)
Superfreq2 1 points 3y ago
Sure feel free, just know that I'm not any kind of expert or even very well connected.
Rethunker 2 points 3y ago
UnsolicitedPeanutMan [OP] 1 points 3y ago
I apologize for asking — I was just curious. As a side note, I have done most of the things on the list you’ve linked (gone through all the preliminaries) and have even received input from the blind people I know in my life. I wanted to ask a 3rd party because I want to get as much feedback as possible. I’ll refrain from asking questions on this subreddit from now onwards. Have a great weekend :)
Rethunker 1 points 3y ago
As long as people reply, keep posting!
Answering questions about hardware can be tough. You’ve provided some specs, which is good. If people express interest, you’re on the right track.
If you’re concerned about patents, feel free to send me a private message. I’ve gone through the patent process a number of times, and I can explain a few things.
Answering questions about hardware can be tough. You’ve provided some specs, which is good. If people express interest, you’re on the right track.
If you’re concerned about patents, feel free to send me a private message. I’ve gone through the patent process a number of times, and I can explain a few things.
UnsolicitedPeanutMan [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Oh wow, thank you so much for the offer! I'll make sure to PM you if I have any questions about the patent process.
MRXGray 2 points 3y ago
I believe that could be something useful. I'm completely blind.
​
Also, I've done a 3D printed pair of eyeglasses with a sonar sensor and an ERM vibrating motor last year.
Both are integrated into the front panel of the eyeglasses frame. The sonar sensor's obviously pointing outwards.
And I placed the vibrating motor back-to-back against it. So its flat surface rests on the user's nosebridge.
Plus, I integrated bone-conducting speakers near the edge of the eyeglasses frame's arms (or legs).
That's because I also integrated a tiny camera into the eyeglasses frame's front panel.
And I implemented machine learning and deep learning models for object detection, classification, OCR in the wild, and OCR for physical documents ...
​
Though I recently moved on to upgrading my project into a wearable 3D perception device for the blind.
This is through binocular depth-sensing and distance estimation.
That's to provide, as a wearable device, real time, simultaneous multiple object detection, classification, clockface placement localization, depth-sensing, distance estimation, OCR in the wild, and OCR for physical documents ...
​
Here's a video demo that I recently did for my project — First part is the current progress of my upgrade. And second part's my 3D printed AI-powered eyeglasses for the blind prototype: $1
​
Best of luck with your project! :)
​
Also, I've done a 3D printed pair of eyeglasses with a sonar sensor and an ERM vibrating motor last year.
Both are integrated into the front panel of the eyeglasses frame. The sonar sensor's obviously pointing outwards.
And I placed the vibrating motor back-to-back against it. So its flat surface rests on the user's nosebridge.
Plus, I integrated bone-conducting speakers near the edge of the eyeglasses frame's arms (or legs).
That's because I also integrated a tiny camera into the eyeglasses frame's front panel.
And I implemented machine learning and deep learning models for object detection, classification, OCR in the wild, and OCR for physical documents ...
​
Though I recently moved on to upgrading my project into a wearable 3D perception device for the blind.
This is through binocular depth-sensing and distance estimation.
That's to provide, as a wearable device, real time, simultaneous multiple object detection, classification, clockface placement localization, depth-sensing, distance estimation, OCR in the wild, and OCR for physical documents ...
​
Here's a video demo that I recently did for my project — First part is the current progress of my upgrade. And second part's my 3D printed AI-powered eyeglasses for the blind prototype: $1
​
Best of luck with your project! :)
UnsolicitedPeanutMan [OP] 2 points 3y ago
I’m watching your video right now and your glasses are incredible. The object detection and OCR is super impressive. My glasses aren’t nearly as advanced because I don’t yet have the technical knowledge. Thank you for the kind words and I genuinely hope your project ends up on the market.
MRXGray 1 points 3y ago
I believe there's certainly a significant global market for your product.
Similar to other groups and communities, there are many in the blind community who would likely want one feature set and just that, as it already provides them with what they need for their day-to-day assistive mobility requirements.
That's among the primary reasons why people are still buying portable digital music players and sound recording devices, instead of using their smartphones for the exact same thing. :)
Similar to other groups and communities, there are many in the blind community who would likely want one feature set and just that, as it already provides them with what they need for their day-to-day assistive mobility requirements.
That's among the primary reasons why people are still buying portable digital music players and sound recording devices, instead of using their smartphones for the exact same thing. :)
UnsolicitedPeanutMan [OP] 1 points 3y ago
Hahaha, it’s funny that you mention that since I’m guilty of just buying an Walkman even though I already own a phone that can play music. I’m really glad that you think that my product could help a portion of the blind community since I wasn’t entirely sure whether it’d be useful. The goal is to make my product as helpful/accessible as possible. Have a great weekend!
Fange_Strellow 1 points 3y ago
Let me start off by letting you know that there are already many products that basically accomplish what you were proposing, and many more products in design that people tell us they are working on. Next I will let you know that these devices are not as useful, reliable, or as cheap as a simple cane. The cane is the ultimate assistive technology for blind people Who want to move around on their own. What would be more useful, and partially exists in apps such as Soundscape from Microsoft, would be beacon based navigation assistance using GPS and a network of NFC for Bluetooth tokens that could be cheaply purchased, easily programmed with location data, and reliably powered through solar or rechargeable means. Figure out a way to do this on a large scale so that it becomes possible for everybody to use and you might actually have an idea we would appreciate.
UnsolicitedPeanutMan [OP] 1 points 3y ago
I'll make sure to look into Soundscape. I can definitely make something like what you've described, but building the infrastructure will be difficult. Just a quick question -- would these glasses be entirely useless in conjunction with a walking cane? They're not meant to replace canes, just to help the user detect an obstacle earlier on.
Edit: Regarding beacon-based navigation, is it okay if I PM you occasionally for feedback?
Edit: Regarding beacon-based navigation, is it okay if I PM you occasionally for feedback?
AlbertFlintstein 1 points 3y ago
It does sound like a useful thing. You may have difficulties with patent laws, though, as $1 uses very similar technology. I'd actually been thinking about creating something like this myself until I found out they'd developed these.
UnsolicitedPeanutMan [OP] 1 points 3y ago
Thank you for the heads up -- I only have a prototype so far, but if I end up continuing, I'll make sure to follow all patent laws.
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