A large problem facing the visually impaired today is curbs, steps, and ditches in their path. Their white cane, while good at detecting floor level objects, is often inadequate. These sudden changes in elevation are shocking to the blind and present a high safety risk. In 2006, almost a hundred people died due to this problem and it continues to threaten more with the risk of injury. This problem was unearthed after talking to industry experts, board members of the National Blind Association, the VP of Caregiving Products at AARP, and visually impaired people.
By using two infrared distance sensors mounted on the hip, 30º apart (I tested at 0º, 30º, and 60º, and found 30º most practical), a raise or fall in elevation can be detected. Using the ratio of the two distances (topDistanceSensor/bottomDistanceSensor) change can be detected in real time. I developed a device, named curbd, which takes a reading from the sensors and calculates the ratio of the two values, utilizing an Arduino microcontroller, programmed in C. Then, curbd compares the current ratio against previous ratios and if there is sufficient change (e.g. if the current ratio is 0.5 and the previous five values were all 0.25-0.3), it will warn the user of a step up or step down. The user is alerted through their phone, a simple single buzz alerts of a step up and a double buzz alerts of a step down.
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