Sightline

Sightline is a smart walking stick meant to give the visually impaired more independence in their daily lives in a sustainable way.

BeginnerShowcase (no instructions)10 hours90

Things used in this project

Hardware components

M5Stack FIRE IoT Development Kit (PSRAM 2.0)

M5Stack Light Unit with Photo-resistance

M5Stack ENV III Unit with Temperature Humidity Air Pressure Sensor (SHT30+QMP6988)

M5Stack Time-of-Flight (ToF) VL53L0X Laser Ranging Unit (MCP4725/)

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Tape, Clear

Tape the M5Stack on the cane/stick.

Tape, Double Sided

Tape the sensors on the M5Stack.

Story

Sightline is a navigational walking stick aimed towards the visually impaired, which should give them enhanced mobility, ease of navigation and confidence in their travels.

How did we make it? (Ideation + Creation Process)

At the heart of Sightline lies a commitment to innovation and accessibility. We designed this smart walking stick using the M5Stack Light, ENV II, and ToF (Time-of-Flight) units, ensuring precise environmental awareness. These components work together to detect obstacles, measure distances, and respond to lighting conditions in real time.

To keep things efficient and adaptable, we programmed Sightline with simple Python code, making it easy to refine and update its functionality. The lightweight and modular nature of the M5Stack ecosystem allowed us to create a compact yet powerful assistive device, enhancing mobility and safety for visually impaired individuals.

Product Introduction

We used two M5Stack Units in our product: Main and Secondary

The main M5Stack uses the ToF unit to alert the user of when their walking stick is near an object/person. A beeping sound is used to alert the user with varying intervals depending on the distance measured by the ToF unit, the intervals decreasing as the distance decreases.

The secondary M5Stack uses the ENVII and Light units to both alert the user whether it is raining of not and turns on lights when the surrounding environment is dark. The user is alerted of rain when the ENVII detects a level of above 90 humidity in the surrounding. The lights of the M5Stack turn on when it is dark and turn off when it is bright using the light unit.

Blockly Code

Python code is listed in the 'Code' Section.

Video Link

Why did we make this product? (Research + Background)

Visually impaired people have difficulty navigating in unfamiliar places. Additionally, blind people must memorise the location of every obstacle or item in the home environment, and those items must not be moved without informing the person to avoid accidents.

The visually impaired cannot participate in some activities easily, limiting their career options which affect their finances and self-esteem. Not only that, but it also limits their ability to socialise and meet new people impacting emotional and mental health.

Code

from m5stack import *
from m5ui import *
from uiflow import *
import time
import unit

setScreenColor(0x222222)
# Edit tof name and port accordingly
tof_0 = unit.get(unit.TOF, unit.PORTA)


on = None
distances = None
intervals = None
distance = None
interval = None



label0 = M5TextBox(37, 50, "Distance", lcd.FONT_DejaVu56, 0xFFFFFF, rotate=0)
label1 = M5TextBox(53, 132, "Interval", lcd.FONT_DejaVu56, 0xFFFFFF, rotate=0)




on = 1
while on == 1:
  distance = tof_0.distance
  label0.setText(str(distance))
  interval = int((distance * 0.0002))
  label1.setText(str(interval))
  # if statements to determine interval length (can be done using lists as well)
  if distance > 140:
    interval = 1.5
  elif distance > 110:
      interval = 1.25
  elif distance > 90:
      interval = 1
  elif distance > 60:
      interval = 0.75
  else:
    interval = 0.5
  speaker.tone(220, 10)
  wait(interval)

from m5stack import *
from m5ui import *
from uiflow import *
import time
import unit

setScreenColor(0x000000)
light0 = unit.get(unit.LIGHT, unit.PORTB)
env2_0 = unit.get(unit.ENV2, unit.PORTA)


humidity = None







lcd.setBrightness(100)
setScreenColor(0x000000)
humidity = env2_0.humidity
while True:
  if humidity > 90:
    speaker.sing(392, 2)
    speaker.sing(330, 2)
    speaker.sing(392, 1)
    wait(0.1)
    speaker.sing(392, 1)
    speaker.sing(330, 2)
    speaker.sing(392, 1)
    wait(0.1)
    speaker.sing(392, 1)
    speaker.sing(330, 2)
    speaker.sing(448, 1)
    wait(0.1)
    speaker.sing(392, 1)
    wait(0.1)
    speaker.sing(392, 1)
    speaker.sing(330, 2)
    wait(1)
    break
  else:
    speaker.sing(587, 1/4)
    speaker.sing(784, 1/2)
    speaker.sing(932, 1/2)
    break
while True:
  if (light0.analogValue) < 400:
    rgb.setColorAll(0xffffff)
    setScreenColor(0xffffff)
  else:
    rgb.setColorAll(0x000000)
    setScreenColor(0x000000)
  wait_ms(2)