Robotic Cane Helps Guide The Blind Past Obstacles

People with eyesight often times have trouble making their way through the world as tend to trip, stumble or bump into things, even though we see them coming. Blind people probably have a much more difficult time getting around as they often need to seek the guidance of a cane to get them around safely. That’s why something like the robotic cane needs to be turned into an actual consumer product as it could help the blind or those with extremely poor vision walk around the world without getting themselves into trouble.

Dr. Cang Ye is a roboticist at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and he’s come up with something he calls the “Co-Robotic Cane,” or CRC for short. The cane is equipped with a camera, laser detection and a ranging system that can help spot objects that are in the user’s path. If something is in their way, the cane will warn the user by way of an included earpiece. The cane’s tip can roll as well, which can move around to help guide the user around the obstacle.

Hopefully the co-robotic cane will one day become an actual product both blind and those with impaired vision can use.

Daniel Perez
Categories: Medical, Robots
Tags: blind