People with visual impairments receive advanced technological assistance.
Visually impaired people can 'see' with this assistive technology
Researchers at Stanford University have introduced an affordable robotic cane that they claim can assist people with visual impairments. The augmented cane helps people detect and identify obstacles and navigate around them. It is part of a growing number of tech devices aimed at helping people with visual impairments.
“We live in a digital world, and the global pandemic has amplified this reality,” Tom Babinszki, vice president of accessibility at eSSENTIAL Accessibility, told Lifewire in an email interview. “With an increase in digital dependency, the gap between what’s available online and what’s actually accessible to people with visual impairments only widens.”
Scientists have long tried to develop a smart cane, but previous models have often been too large and expensive. Stanford researchers say their augmented cane design weighs just 3 pounds, can be built at home using off-the-shelf parts and free, open-source software, and costs $400.
