Teen creates smart cane for the blind

Raghav saw a documentary about the daily lives of the blind and visually impaired, and was immediately inspired by it. "There's an old device here that needed an upgrade," Raghav says, "and I thought I could make that better."

Raghav sought out Steve Mahan, blind, and CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Center For The Blind (SCVCFTB) a year ago after throwing together his first prototype of SmartWalk to have blind people testing it.

"It's pretty extraordinary for a 13-year-old to develop a device that is this sophisticated. There are quite similar, though less-sophisticated, devices already on the market at a very high cost", Steven said.

"My prototype cost about $55, but I'm projecting about $20 for the final price”. Which means that this student's device is not only cheaper, but also better than the similar devices available for sale, according to the CEO and SCVCFTB members.

Meeting monthly for the past year, Steve and clients of the SCVCFTB would test out Raghav's prototypes and suggest improvements or modifications to the design. They also gave Raghav the confidence to continue working on his idea.

"After going to the blind center and seeing people working with it," Raghav says, "I thought 'wow, I can really make a difference in someone's life”.

More info: http://smartwalk.weebly.com/

Adapted from: http://bit.ly/1Hwi8UR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0D5ZXpE844