Here's another article that you may find interesting.

 

73, Gary, N5GD

 

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''Smart <mailto:snoopyone@''Smart>  Cane''

 

  

August 3, 2009
Students Develop Cane With E-Tags to Guide Blind
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 3:33 p.m. ET

DETROIT (AP) -- A cane equipped with the technology that 
retailers use to tag merchandise could help blind people avoid obstacles.

An engineering professor and five students at Central Michigan University
have created a ''Smart Cane'' to read electronic navigational tags
installed between buildings to aid the blind in reaching their
destinations more easily.

''This project started as a way for me to teach students to see 
and understand the ways that engineering can be used for the greater 
good,''said Kumar Yelamarthi, the professor and project leader. ''We 
wanted to do something that would help people and make our campus more 
accessible.''

During the spring term, Yelamarthi and five senior engineering 
students tested the cane, which is equipped with Radio Frequency 
Identification technology, similar to what retailers put on products to
keep 
them from being stolen.

The Smart Cane contains an ultrasonic sensor that is paired with a
miniature navigational system inside a messenger-style bag worn across
the 
shoulder.

For the test, the students installed identification tags between two
buildings on the campus in Mount Pleasant, Mich.. A speaker 
located on the bag strap gave audio alerts when the system detected an
obstacle 
and told the user which direction to move.

Students wearing glasses that simulate visual impairment tested the cane.

The students also created a vibrating glove to assist those who 
are both visually and hearing-impaired.

Yelamarthi said it's one of the first outdoor applications of 
RFID and said he plans for students in upcoming classes to further refine
the 
system while he seeks grants to speed the research.

The next step probably involves using the system in a wider area. 
Down the ine, Yelamarthi wants to work toward integrating the Smart 
Cane's data with GPS.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press

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