Smart Stick as an Assistive Device For Blind People Using Internet of Things

This research aims to make a smart stick that is expected to be a tool for blind people for daily mobility and analyze the smart stick that has been made. This tool is based on the Internet of Things which can determine object obstacles on the left, front, and right using ultrasonic sensors, determine water resistance using a water level sensor, detect user coordinates using GPS, and determine user conditions using buttons. All data obtained by these components is processed using a microcontroller which is then forwarded to the website platform. In addition, this smart stick has a speaker whose volume can be adjusted and can emit sound according to the conditions of the obstacles encountered. This smart stick analysis uses a Likert scale with accidental sampling of visually impaired respondents. The results of tests that have been carried out on this tool have the ability to detect obstacles on the right, front, and left, detect coordinates, detect inundation obstacles, emit a sound according to the indication of obstacles encountered, know the user’s status and can send data to Firebase for real-time monitoring. The analysis that has been done on the smart stick using a questionnaire with a Likert scale and percentage score shows that this tool has a value of 67.5% which is included in the “fair” category in the percentage score. However, further development is still needed regarding the shape, features, material, size, and obstacle detection distance. The smart stick provides benefits such as water and obstacle detection in the vicinity, as well as an emergency button to inform the user’s status of the family.