Mother develops gadget for his visually impaired son

The innovation, still a prototype, helps the visually impaired by using cameras and lasers to scan the ground around the user searching out dents, dips and drop-offs. Whenever an obstacle is found, an auditory or vibrating alert is then sent to the user so they can avoid the potential pitfall.

Elaine, an Associate professor of the Melbourne University’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, started to work on this by teaming up with Vision Australia and Guide Dogs Australia to see what gadgets already existed to help people with limited eyesight and what needs weren’t being met.

“For me as an engineer, the aim is always to do something impactful and significant — the nature of my research is that you ought to look 20 years ahead. But I wanted to do something that is tangible and have a real impact”, the professor explained.

The prototype has already been tested on the streets, and they are working on miniturise the device, and refining the lasers so they effectively work under all light conditions and ensure the cameras can process the data being sent to it about obstacles as swiftly as the person relying on it can walk into them.

The team intends to make the final product as cost-effective as possible.

Adapted from: http://bit.ly/2jFxLV5

https://youtu.be/TAEhsfy1_pw