Smart Cane

A navigational aid for the visually impaired

Executive Summary

The Smart Cane is a device that allows a visually impaired user to record and retrace their steps along a path. The cane itself is similar to a standard walking cane, except the lower portion is fixed to a three-wheeled tripod base. As the user pushes the Smart Cane along, a Basic Stamp microcontroller records the distance (via an optical shaft encoder) and direction (via a digital compass) vector of the user's path. Upon completion of their journey, the user presses the stop button to end the recording. Finally, the user can playback the trip by pressing the replay button, and the Smart Cane reverses the distance/direction vector telling the user where, when, and how much to turn at the appropriate points.

Team Members

Tonya Gingras, Nathan Merris, Ryan Poore, Igor Zinkovski

Project Sponsor

Penn State University CSE department

Faculty Coach

Dr. Dennis Dunn

Completion Date

April 19, 2002

The Smart Cane