Assistive Smart Stick: Safe and Independent Mobility for the Visually Disabled Using Sensor Based Technology

To provide assistance to the visually impaired, we propose this paper which shows the creation and deployment of an intelligent walking stick which integrates a number of technologies to help such people in their everyday lives. The system uses ultrasonic sensors and a servo to aid in obstacle detection and an ESP32-CAM to help recognize the object in front of the user. The servo is used in a sweeping motion to achieve a broader perspective of the user’s surroundings using an ultrasonic sensor and the second ultrasonic sensor is used to check for depths for user’s safety. The image processing is done in the cloud using artificial intelligence and the feedback is provided via buzzer and speaker. The FreeRTOS feature of ESP32 has been used to facilitate in multitasking without causing interference to individual machinery and the lightweight and cost-effective design of the proposed stick makes it viable for practical usage.