Blind Mate: A Friend to The Blind

With different kinds of smart walking sticks available, the life of the blind and visually impaired has improved, yet they are not completely independent. This paper aims to propose a smart autonomous GPS controlled walking stick with a portable wheel module to facilitate usage in both internal and external environments. This is achieved by establishing wireless communication between the stick’s microcontroller Raspberry pi 3b and wheel module’s microcontroller Arduino Mega through nrf24L01 transceiver module. This stick has a user-friendly speed and direction control system. Navigation is achieved by means of GPS and compass meter modules. Obstacle detection is achieved by ultrasound and camera sensors. Infrared sensors are employed for detection of ditches in the path. An NRF based stick locator is embedded to locate the stick when misplaced. This system assures maximum reliability.