Blind Stick Navigator

A blind assist tool that provide obstacles notification and GPS location to the guardian / authority via SMS.

IntermediateFull instructions provided24 hours31,081

Things used in this project

Hardware components

1Sheeld

Arduino UNO

Android device

Relay (generic)

Toggle switch

ultrasonic sensor hc-sr04

DC motor (generic)

Jumper wires (generic)

9V battery (generic)

Software apps and online services

Arduino IDE

1sheeld phone apps

Story

The story starts when I saw a blind person trying hard to walk past obstacles like road holes, stairs, etc. with their traditional blind cane. It really triggers me to try to build this prototype even though I'm not anexpert enough in handling electronic devices. By using different kinds of sources on the internet, I manage to complete it last year during my final year project. Besides that, I also enhance the prototype by adding GPS location. Thanks to 1Sheeld, it really helps me to finish this prototype within 6 months.

Step 1

To power the Blind Stick Navigator, it needs to be powered using external power. I'm using a 9v battery as an introduction to what it is capable of. From what I've seen, my prototype had the disadvantage to provide long-term power usage. Thus, it needs an enhancement like solar panel/power somehow.

Step 2

After powering it on using the battery that connects to the USB power adapter at the microcontroller Arduino Uno, the guardian needs to always let the Bluetooth connection (Android smartphone) connect to the microcontroller. Then, you need to open the 1Sheeld apps that are already installed in the smartphone and enable the GPS and SMS features.

**Yeah I know blind people can't see and access the smartphone, but at least if I or you manage to do the modification to the Android OS smartphone, it will make it a lot easier. I've already tried my best to find a better smartphone that provides a braille button, but I failed. Thus, I hope in the future, there will be an upgrade for my prototype.

Step 3

Based on the block diagram above, as you can see, this is how the connection between devices happens. After these two are powered on, the blind people can start using the Blind Stick Navigator. Based on the observation of the traditional white cane, blind people will always swing around the blind stick to get a confirmation of their surroundings. But, Blind Stick Navigator, will help them to get vibrate notifications on the obstacle at the middle and lower sight. The obstacle was detected using the ultrasonic sensor HC-SR04. It has been attached to the upper of the stick and bottom of the stick. I'm using PVC pipe because I can put the vibrating DC motor inside the PVC pipe. The vibration mode can be altered in the code given using Arduino IDE software.

Step 4

Besides that, the Blind Stick Navigator can provide the longitude and latitude of the blind people's location. This is because the smartphone acts as a provider and provides GPS location for this process. The toggle switch is add-up to make the blind people easier to click the emergency button to inform the recipient that he/she already lost or is in danger. By clicking it one or couple of times, the smartphone will send a message informing that they need help and please search him based on the GPS and Google Map link. The number of the recipient can be set whether the message wants to be sent to the authority or the guardian of the blind people only. The length of the stick is adjustable according to the height of the user. For this prototype, I'm using a specific length and the length of the detection can be altered in the code.

Step 5

Last but not least, I hope that my prototype is used worldwide or be commercialize thus helping blind people during their journey/life. Moreover, I'm really sorry about my grammar because my English is not quite good. I don't know to describe more in this post. All of the information I already compiled. You can refer to more about this project based on the link I provided below.

Document of the Project :

Poster of the Project :

Video of the Project :

Code

OneSheeldBlindStickNavigator

#define CUSTOM_SETTINGS
#define INCLUDE_GPS_SHIELD
#define INCLUDE_SMS_SHIELD

/* Include 1Sheeld library.*/
#include <OneSheeld.h>
#include <string.h>


#define trigPinL 4
#define echoPinL 5
#define trigPinH 6
#define echoPinH 7
#define Vib1  12
#define Vib2  13
#define SW 8


/* Define a boolean flag. */
boolean isInRange = false;
float lat;
float lon;
String PhoneNumber = "0134087286";
String Message;
String Message1;
String Message2;
char latitude[10];
char longitude[10];


void setup() 
{
  pinMode(trigPinL, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(echoPinL, INPUT);
  pinMode(trigPinH, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(echoPinH, INPUT);
  pinMode(Vib1, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(Vib2, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(SW, INPUT);
  /* Start communication.*/
  OneSheeld.begin();
 // Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop()
{
  
  long durationL, distanceL, durationH, distanceH, MixDist;
  digitalWrite(trigPinL, LOW);  // Added this line
  delayMicroseconds(2); // Added this line
  digitalWrite(trigPinL, HIGH);
 
 
  delayMicroseconds(10); // Added this line
  digitalWrite(trigPinL, LOW);

  durationL = pulseIn(echoPinL, HIGH);

  distanceL = (durationL/2) / 29.1;
  
  
  digitalWrite(trigPinH, LOW);  // Added this line
  delayMicroseconds(2); // Added this line
  digitalWrite(trigPinH, HIGH);
 
 
  delayMicroseconds(10); // Added this line
  digitalWrite(trigPinH, LOW);

  durationH = pulseIn(echoPinH, HIGH);

  distanceH = (durationH/2) / 29.1;

  // Serial.println(distanceL);
  // Serial.println(distanceH);
   
  // delay(1000);
  
  if (distanceL > 40){
    digitalWrite(Vib1,HIGH);
  }
  if (distanceL < 40){
    digitalWrite(Vib1,LOW);
  }
  if (distanceH < 100){
    digitalWrite(Vib1,HIGH);
    delay(200);
    digitalWrite(Vib1,LOW);
    delay(200);
  }

   /* Always check if the smartphone's GPS and a given longitude and latitude are in a range of 100 meters. */
  //if(GPS.isInRange(30.0831008,31.3242943,100))
 // {
  //  if(!isInRange)
  //  {
      /* Send SMS. */
      lat = GPS.getLatitude();
      lon = GPS.getLongitude();
      Message1 = String(lat,8);
      Message2 = String(lon,8);
      
      if (digitalRead(SW) == 0){
     
      Message = "I need Help! I'm at latitude: " + Message1 + " and longitude: " + Message2;
      Message = "Google Maps - https://www.google.co.in/maps/place/" + Message1 + "," + Message2;
      SMS.send(PhoneNumber,Message);
      
      
      delay(3000);
      }
 //     isInRange = true;
 //   }
    
 // }
 // else 
 // {
 //   if(isInRange)
 //   {
      /* Send SMS. */ 
 //     SMS.send("+601123413946","Smartphone is not In Range.");
 //     isInRange = false;
 //   }
    
 // }
  
  delay(1000);
}

Credits

Mohammad Hazmi

1 project • 23 followers

Just a simple guy .

Blind Stick Navigator