Existing Solutions:

The SmartCane is a cane that uses sonic waves to detect obstacles [4]. The detection system can be attached to any standard white cane and vibrates when an obstacle is detected so as to warn the user. However, the SmartCane has no sound warning system to alert the user of obstacles. The vibrations are sent out solely to the hands of the user as he or she holds the cane. While the object detection aspect of the SmartCane is very robust, the lack of a sound system can prove to be detrimental. One of the leading causes of blindness is diabetes which can also cause damage to nerve endings and ultimately cause permanent numbness in certain areas of the body [5]. This means that vibration alone would prove to be an ineffective form of alerting this type of user.

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iGlasses are smart glasses that vibrate when they sense an obstacle approaching [6]. As of now, this is the best solution in the market. However, the only downside is that it is rather cumbersome and conspicuous. Furthermore, most people we spoke with during our preliminary market research stated that one of their least favorite ways of attaching the device on the body would be through glasses --especially glasses that stand out in any way.

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Guide dogs are used by approximately 2% of the blind and visually impaired [7]. One of the best aspects of this solution is that guide dogs are free [8]. However, they still require a huge commitment --just like any other dog. They need exercise, love, food, and any medical care they might require. Furthermore, although guide dogs are trained to stop when they detect an obstacle, there is no way for the owner to distinguish between the kind of obstacle the dog has stopped for. Therefore, although guide dogs are wonderful and can provide lots of support and happiness for owners, they are not the best possible option for obstacle detection.

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The Trekker Breeze+ Talking GPS is a navigation system that “verbally announces names of streets, intersections, and landmarks as you walk by” but lacks the ability to detect obstacles [9]. Therefore, though it provides useful information about the user’s environment such as what building they are standing in front of, it fails to alert the user to any real-time obstacles in their path. Furthermore, as of now, the Trekker Breeze+ is becoming more and more obsolete as apps such as BlindSquare have started to take its place in the market

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BlindSquare is an iPhone application that “describes the environment, announces points of interest and street intersections” as a person navigates his or her surroundings [10]. It provides the same information to the user as the Trekker Breeze+ but in much more compact and portable manner since it is an application on the iPhone. However, just like the Trekker Breeze+, it also fails to alert users of obstacles in their path. Additionally, since BlindSquare is only an iPhone app and not available for other smartphones, it fails to cater to the blind population that doesn’t have an iPhone.

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The modern standard white cane “did not come into existence until World War I” [12] but by 1990, around 109,000 people were using them in the United States [3]. Although when the cane is used properly it can allow users to detect obstacles such as stairs and cracks in the sidewalk, sometimes it fails to detect signs attached to poles and it almost always fails to detect overhead hanging obstacles. Therefore, though it can alert users to obstacles from the waist down, it leaves their torso and head vulnerable.

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The Trekker Breeze+ is far too expensive and the cheaper alternatives do not provide all the functionalities they should and are not the perfect solution to the blind community’s obstacle detection problem.