GesturePod Is a Cane-Based Smartphone Interface

Smartphones have improved our lives in many ways, giving us the ability to communicate, check our location, access the exact time, hail a car, and more. While smartphones are generally visual devices, these tools also represent an excellent opportunity for those with visual impairments (VI), with various apps now helping to break down barriers to accessibility. This is undoubtedly a good thing, but actually using a smartphone for those with VI can present some difficulties, especially when a hand is occupied by using a white cane to sense the immediate surroundings. The GesturePod aims to address this as an interface augmentation to the cane itself.

The GesturePod links up with a smartphone over Bluetooth, letting users enter gesture commands such as double-tapping it on the ground to have it audibly tell the time, or twirling to tell the current location. Gestures can be modified or added to as needed, allowing the device to be customized to a user’s particular needs.

The unit is based around an Arduino MKR1000 board, along with an IMU, Bluetooth module, and LiPo battery. This hardware enables it to last for 28 hours on a single charge, while weighing in at just 49 grams.

Clamping hardware allows it to attach to any white cane, and the fact that users are already carrying it means that one's phone can be accessed near-instantaneously without shuffling around in a bag or other holder.