Robotic Glove Lets The Blind “See” With Their Hands

While bats can find their way around sound, the same cannot be said for humans. What this means for humans who are visually impaired or blind is that they have to rely on other people to guide them, use a walking stick, or be familiar enough with their environment where they can walk around relatively unaided.

However thanks to researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno, and University of Arkansas, they have developed a robotic glove that will allow the blind to “see” what they are touching. This means that those who are blind may not have to fumble around for objects like cups, door knobs, and etc.

According to Yantao Shen, assistant professor and lead researcher on the project from the University of Nevada, Reno’s College of Engineering, “We will pre-map the hand, and build a lightweight form-fitting device that attaches to the hand using key locations for cameras and mechanical and electrical sensors.”

These sensors include tactile and temperature sensors along with high-resolution cameras and microphones. All of this should allow the wearable to get an idea of the item’s location, shape, and size. As it stands, the device is still in development and there is no word on when it will be made available to the public. Shen adds, “Not only will this device help blind and visually impaired people, the methods and technology we develop will have great potential in advancing small and wearable robot autonomy.”

Tyler Lee
Categories: Medical, Robots
Tags: Wearable Tech