Cane for the blind + Foursquare + ultrasound sensor = Win

A white cane that doubles as a GPS-enabled smartphone, complete with an inductive charging dock (wireless charging), an ultrasonic sensor to detect sharp objects, and integration with popular location-based service Foursquare, which enables the blind user to locate friends through audio messages and a tactile navigator.

While cool as a piece of technological and design wizardry, this cane, called Blindspot, is mainly a tool to enhance the social lives of people who are visually impaired. It is created by Selene Chew, a design student at the National University of Singapore, as her final year thesis project.

Here’s how it works:Suppose a blind person is meeting a friend at Bugis Junction. Once the friend checks in via Foursquare at the location, the white cane would prompt the blind user, who would be wearing a bluetooth earpiece. He can then choose from a menu to ignore the message, call the friend, or find the friend.

If he picks the last option, an audio message will prompt him about how far he is from the location. A tactile navigator converts GPS map directions into an ‘arrow’ that points towards the path to take. On his way to the Bugis Junction, a warning message would sound whenever he is about to bump into an object, courtesy of the ultrasonic sensor.

The inductive charger serves a practical purpose too. All a user has to do is place the detachable smartphone on the receptacle to start charging. This saves a lot of trouble since a blind person would not need to locate and manually plug a cable into the device.

Blindspot has certainly found a way to marry existing social media tools and technology that we take for granted with traditional items to benefit people who are visually impaired.  It empowers them to take the initiative and be independent in instances where they would be reliant on their friends.

It’s no surprise that Blindspot has received widespread media coverage from Fast Company, CNET, and more. Selene recently won second runner-up at the prestigious James Dyson Award, which aims to inspire the next generation of design engineers. She is also looking for a partner to bring the product to market.

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