Indian Institute of Technology - Gandhinagar (IIT-G) has developed a walking stick called 'smart cane' for blind people. The stick is being developed by IIT-G in association with the Blind People's Association (BPA).
The walking stick will be available at an affordable price and the cost will be as low as Rs 1,000 each. The hi-tech walking sticks available in the market cost between Rs 15,000 and Rs 1 lakh. Sources have informed that a group of 24 students of IIT-G this summer has sacrificed visiting their homes in order to develop a walking stick. The stick is designed in such a way it will inform the user regarding shape, size and the kind of obstacles as far as two to three metres ahead.
It is a battery-operated walking stick, which will be equipped with an infrared and ultrasound sensors. Akshay Jain, one of the team members, while explaining the technology, said that the ultrasound used in the stick detects objects at a longer and wider range. He also mentioned that its preciseness is lower than that of infrared rays that have a short range. Therefore, he explains that the combination of both helps in detecting an object in advance and estimating its details precisely as it comes closer.
