Design and Implementation of a Smart Stick for the Disabled to Detect Obstacles and Others Using Arduino

Abstract

In this work, a device with three features was designed and implemented to help the blind walk without possible accidents. The first function of the device is accomplished by placing an ultrasonic sensor at a known angle of about 40 on a specific blind cane to detect whether there is a hole or a ladder in front of the blind person about 48 cm to prevent him from falling, which may cause multiple injuries as a result. The second feature is using a humidity sensor in the first foot of the quadrupedal cane to measure the humidity of the ground in front of the blind person and alert him when the humidity exceeds a certain limit, which may cause the blind person's feet to sink into the ground. In addition, the third feature was implemented using another ultrasonic sensor on the cane to alert the blind person if there is an obstacle, person, or wall at a small distance of about 50 cm in front of him to prevent a collision accident. These features were practically implemented using a quadrupedal cane, an Arduino controller, and the three sensors. Also, three whistles, one vibrating motor and three LEDs on the same stick were used to operate it when such troubles occurred.