23-11-2012, 05:51 PM
ULTRA-CANE - AN INTELLIGENT TOOL FOR BLIND WITH AI TECHNIQUES
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ABSTRACT:
Independence and confidence are building methodologies in achieving your dreams and goals in life. Visually impaired persons find themselves challenging to go out independently. There are about 12 million visually impaired or blind people in this world who are always in need of helping hands. For many years the white cane has been the most commonly used travel aid by the blind. The biggest disadvantage is that the user has to be trained a lot and the user is forced to scan manually the vicinity for obstacles. "Success comes in cans, failure comes in cants". Gulping this energy capsule we came up with a dream device for the blind I-cane.. the only cane in this world with intelligence. I-cane, which we have created, answers all the problems that the blind face very intelligently. This paper starts with very brief introduction about the description of the I-cane. This paper also deals with the next version of Ultra-cane with a single wheel design. The main idea behind this paper is to contribute our service to the blind society and helping them with the little knowledge that we have. We feel that it is the duty of those blessed with the power of vision and knowledge to contribute and help the blind and other deprived people in their lives. This paper also deals with the next version of I-Cane with a single wheel design, the ultra cane. The drawbacks of the I-cane lead to invent the Ultra cane. With little technology and flexibility to the users, there came ultra cane. Detailed explanation of the individual parts and Do’s and Don’ts of it is discussed. The main idea behind this paper is to contribute our service to the blind society and helping them with the little knowledge that we have. We feel that it is the duty of those blessed with the power of vision and knowledge to contribute and help the blind and other deprived people in their lives.
INTRODUCTION
The growth of information technology plays a vital role in the recent development almost in all the fields. We also want to explore the developments for the benefit of the visually impaired persons. Visually impaired persons find themselves challenging to go out independently. The population of the visually impaired is growing day by day. The problems faced by them also increased without finding any solution. They require a help to come out from their problems. For many years the white cane has been the most commonly used travel aids by the blinds. The blind people get trained a lot to move out in the streets with the white cane and they have to take each step after scanning the area ahead of him/her. The white cane is also not suited for detecting potentially dangerous obstacles at head level. Guide dogs are another methods using which the blinds navigate. Guide dogs are very capable guides for the blind, but they require extensive training. Fully trained guide dogs cost between Rs.l5, 000 and Rs.20, 000, and they are only useful for about five years. Furthermore, many blind and visually impaired people are aged and find it difficult to care appropriately for another living being. As a result, only 3% of the estimated twelve million visually impaired people in the world have guide dogs. The proposed model of I-cane is one such intelligent device that allows the blind to navigate. "Success comes in can's, failure comes in cant's". Gulping this energy capsule we came up with a dream device for the blind the I-cane ... the only cane in this world with intelligence. I-cane. I-Cane is a novel device designed with Artificial Intelligence (A.I) techniques, to help blind or visually impaired users navigate safely and quickly among obstacles and other hazards faced while walking in the road.
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE "I-Cane"
The I-Cane project will investigate, apply, and assemble state-of-the-art sensory, processing, and man-machine interface technology to design and build an intelligent tool for the blind. I-cane is a user-friend device, which is definitely an indispensable travel aid for the blinds. It has two parts. One is the base (made of wood) and the other is the handle. The base bears the electronic circuits, the embedded chip along with three powerful infrared sensors. These infrared sensors detect obstacles ahead up to considerable distance. The base is also fitted with four rubber wheels, which helps the user to move with the device easily. The important part of the I-cane is the handle that is fitted on to the base. The handle is very cleverly designed in such a manner that the user could increase or decrease its height by means of an easily adjustable screw. This ensures the easiness and comfort while operating the device. The device is also portable and could be easily dismantled and assembled with out any external help. I-cane device provides its user a joystick at its handle to switch over different controls like START, STOP and HORN. In addition to these, there is also a brake
Ultra Cane Overview:
The Ultra Cane is a new electronic mobility aid, designed to help you get around more easily and safely. It increases the amount of information available to you about obstacles in your path and at head height. This means you can make decisions more quickly. In other words, it gives you more confidence and allows you to walk faster than with a traditional white cane.
The Ultra Cane is an electronic primary aid, modelled on the traditional long white cane, but with some important differences. It uses Ultrasonic echoes to find objects in front of and at shoulder or head height of the person using it. It gives tactile feedback to the hand via two vibrating buttons. Each button indicates a different direction where an object may be, and the intensity or speed of vibration lets you know how far away the object is. In essence, the purpose of the Ultra Cane is to locate landmarks, obstacles, hazards, and environmental features. This additional information leads to safer travel which in turn increases confidence in travelling alone, assisting in the development
Getting Started:
Hold the cane up vertically with the handle at the top and the cane tip at the bottom. Placing your hands on the very top of the cane handle, you will be able to feel an elastic quick release wrist strap and below that the rubberised flip open door to the battery compartment. As you feel down the cane handle you will feel two raised oval shaped buttons. These buttons are placed in the rubberised grip area on the top of the handle and are there to provide the tactile feedback.
As you move down the handle you will feel the larger rounded area at the end of the handle itself, which houses two Ultrasound sensors; one which looks in front, in the direction of travel, and one which looks upwards. Please do not press the sensors. Underneath the handle at the end which houses the sensors, is the on/off switch. This switch also enables the range of the forward sensor to be selected. Beyond the sensors is the cane shaft which folds when each section is pulled apart.
What is the Ultra Cane?
The ultra cane used to be known as the “Bat cane” because it was inspired by the way bats navigate in total darkness using “echolation” .It became “ultra cane” in recognition of the ultrasound technology it utilises.
Ultra Cane is a revolutionary step forward in primary aids for the vision impaired user. Based on a traditional white cane it uses the very latest electronic technology to do something very simple, to give the user more information about their surroundings.
Inspired by academic research into the way some animals use sonar echoes to move around in the dark, our researchers felt that this simple idea could be harnessed to help the vision impaired community.
ULTRA -CANE
Hundreds of vision impaired testers helped develop the Ultra Cane and told us what they wanted -a user friendly product based on the familiar white cane but with remarkable differences:Ultra Cane uses ultrasonic echoes to detect objects in the path of the user. This includes objects at head height, like wing mirrors on parked Lorries.
It gives tactile feedback, not audible which could interfere with other hazard information. Different buttons on the ergonomically designed handle of the cane indicate the direction of the object. The intensity of the vibration lets you know how far away the object is. This type of feedback accesses the mapping area of your brain, enabling you to form an immediate mental map of the layout of your surroundings.
Ultra Cane Features
Buttons and Grip
The Ultra Cane is suitable for both left and right handed people, and is best used with good cane technique with the cane hand centred with the wrist as the primary pivot point. The sensors will then face correctly upwards and forwards. It may be held as you would a regular long white cane with the forefinger down the side of the handle and there is a small groove on each side of the handle to assist this grip, which mobility specialists recommend. It may be, however, that you prefer to hold the handle with the forefinger around and underneath the handle and this grip is acceptable. It’s what works for you.
[attachment=40905]
ABSTRACT:
Independence and confidence are building methodologies in achieving your dreams and goals in life. Visually impaired persons find themselves challenging to go out independently. There are about 12 million visually impaired or blind people in this world who are always in need of helping hands. For many years the white cane has been the most commonly used travel aid by the blind. The biggest disadvantage is that the user has to be trained a lot and the user is forced to scan manually the vicinity for obstacles. "Success comes in cans, failure comes in cants". Gulping this energy capsule we came up with a dream device for the blind I-cane.. the only cane in this world with intelligence. I-cane, which we have created, answers all the problems that the blind face very intelligently. This paper starts with very brief introduction about the description of the I-cane. This paper also deals with the next version of Ultra-cane with a single wheel design. The main idea behind this paper is to contribute our service to the blind society and helping them with the little knowledge that we have. We feel that it is the duty of those blessed with the power of vision and knowledge to contribute and help the blind and other deprived people in their lives. This paper also deals with the next version of I-Cane with a single wheel design, the ultra cane. The drawbacks of the I-cane lead to invent the Ultra cane. With little technology and flexibility to the users, there came ultra cane. Detailed explanation of the individual parts and Do’s and Don’ts of it is discussed. The main idea behind this paper is to contribute our service to the blind society and helping them with the little knowledge that we have. We feel that it is the duty of those blessed with the power of vision and knowledge to contribute and help the blind and other deprived people in their lives.
INTRODUCTION
The growth of information technology plays a vital role in the recent development almost in all the fields. We also want to explore the developments for the benefit of the visually impaired persons. Visually impaired persons find themselves challenging to go out independently. The population of the visually impaired is growing day by day. The problems faced by them also increased without finding any solution. They require a help to come out from their problems. For many years the white cane has been the most commonly used travel aids by the blinds. The blind people get trained a lot to move out in the streets with the white cane and they have to take each step after scanning the area ahead of him/her. The white cane is also not suited for detecting potentially dangerous obstacles at head level. Guide dogs are another methods using which the blinds navigate. Guide dogs are very capable guides for the blind, but they require extensive training. Fully trained guide dogs cost between Rs.l5, 000 and Rs.20, 000, and they are only useful for about five years. Furthermore, many blind and visually impaired people are aged and find it difficult to care appropriately for another living being. As a result, only 3% of the estimated twelve million visually impaired people in the world have guide dogs. The proposed model of I-cane is one such intelligent device that allows the blind to navigate. "Success comes in can's, failure comes in cant's". Gulping this energy capsule we came up with a dream device for the blind the I-cane ... the only cane in this world with intelligence. I-cane. I-Cane is a novel device designed with Artificial Intelligence (A.I) techniques, to help blind or visually impaired users navigate safely and quickly among obstacles and other hazards faced while walking in the road.
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE "I-Cane"
The I-Cane project will investigate, apply, and assemble state-of-the-art sensory, processing, and man-machine interface technology to design and build an intelligent tool for the blind. I-cane is a user-friend device, which is definitely an indispensable travel aid for the blinds. It has two parts. One is the base (made of wood) and the other is the handle. The base bears the electronic circuits, the embedded chip along with three powerful infrared sensors. These infrared sensors detect obstacles ahead up to considerable distance. The base is also fitted with four rubber wheels, which helps the user to move with the device easily. The important part of the I-cane is the handle that is fitted on to the base. The handle is very cleverly designed in such a manner that the user could increase or decrease its height by means of an easily adjustable screw. This ensures the easiness and comfort while operating the device. The device is also portable and could be easily dismantled and assembled with out any external help. I-cane device provides its user a joystick at its handle to switch over different controls like START, STOP and HORN. In addition to these, there is also a brake
Ultra Cane Overview:
The Ultra Cane is a new electronic mobility aid, designed to help you get around more easily and safely. It increases the amount of information available to you about obstacles in your path and at head height. This means you can make decisions more quickly. In other words, it gives you more confidence and allows you to walk faster than with a traditional white cane.
The Ultra Cane is an electronic primary aid, modelled on the traditional long white cane, but with some important differences. It uses Ultrasonic echoes to find objects in front of and at shoulder or head height of the person using it. It gives tactile feedback to the hand via two vibrating buttons. Each button indicates a different direction where an object may be, and the intensity or speed of vibration lets you know how far away the object is. In essence, the purpose of the Ultra Cane is to locate landmarks, obstacles, hazards, and environmental features. This additional information leads to safer travel which in turn increases confidence in travelling alone, assisting in the development
Getting Started:
Hold the cane up vertically with the handle at the top and the cane tip at the bottom. Placing your hands on the very top of the cane handle, you will be able to feel an elastic quick release wrist strap and below that the rubberised flip open door to the battery compartment. As you feel down the cane handle you will feel two raised oval shaped buttons. These buttons are placed in the rubberised grip area on the top of the handle and are there to provide the tactile feedback.
As you move down the handle you will feel the larger rounded area at the end of the handle itself, which houses two Ultrasound sensors; one which looks in front, in the direction of travel, and one which looks upwards. Please do not press the sensors. Underneath the handle at the end which houses the sensors, is the on/off switch. This switch also enables the range of the forward sensor to be selected. Beyond the sensors is the cane shaft which folds when each section is pulled apart.
What is the Ultra Cane?
The ultra cane used to be known as the “Bat cane” because it was inspired by the way bats navigate in total darkness using “echolation” .It became “ultra cane” in recognition of the ultrasound technology it utilises.
Ultra Cane is a revolutionary step forward in primary aids for the vision impaired user. Based on a traditional white cane it uses the very latest electronic technology to do something very simple, to give the user more information about their surroundings.
Inspired by academic research into the way some animals use sonar echoes to move around in the dark, our researchers felt that this simple idea could be harnessed to help the vision impaired community.
ULTRA -CANE
Hundreds of vision impaired testers helped develop the Ultra Cane and told us what they wanted -a user friendly product based on the familiar white cane but with remarkable differences:Ultra Cane uses ultrasonic echoes to detect objects in the path of the user. This includes objects at head height, like wing mirrors on parked Lorries.
It gives tactile feedback, not audible which could interfere with other hazard information. Different buttons on the ergonomically designed handle of the cane indicate the direction of the object. The intensity of the vibration lets you know how far away the object is. This type of feedback accesses the mapping area of your brain, enabling you to form an immediate mental map of the layout of your surroundings.
Ultra Cane Features
Buttons and Grip
The Ultra Cane is suitable for both left and right handed people, and is best used with good cane technique with the cane hand centred with the wrist as the primary pivot point. The sensors will then face correctly upwards and forwards. It may be held as you would a regular long white cane with the forefinger down the side of the handle and there is a small groove on each side of the handle to assist this grip, which mobility specialists recommend. It may be, however, that you prefer to hold the handle with the forefinger around and underneath the handle and this grip is acceptable. It’s what works for you.