Vibrovision

Have you ever thought how difficult it is to be blind? Not for a day or two, but for a lifetime. So far, there are only a few things: from a cane for the blind to a specially trained assistance dog. However, the latter costs up to € 15,000, and it’s beyond the reach of many disabled people. Therefore, our team decided to create a product that meets the expectations of the disabled person and could be sold at an affordable price. This is how “Vibrovision” was born.

The prototype consists of two parts: a base block and a pair of wristbands. The block is fastened to the person’s chest, and the wristbands are put on both hands. The block has an ardino controller, a battery and 3 ultrasonic sensors. They, measuring the time from the sending of the signal to its return, predict objects up to 3 meters away and create an image of the 3D environment. The controller, after processing the received information, sends a signal to the wristbands. They have vibrating motors (similar to the vibration elements in the phones) according to the distance they send to the subject to vibrate accordingly. By observing the vibrating side and strength, the user can determine the direction of the obstacle and the distance to it. The wristband and controller communicate via wireless connection, so no wires are required. The device also has a light sensor that turns on the LEDs if it detects light reduction, thereby increasing the person’s ability to see in a dark environment. The wristband and the main block have rechargeable batteries. A fully charged prototype can operate for about 2 hours of active use. We hope that in the finished product this time can be extended with smaller and less energy-consuming vibration elements.

We are anticipating improvements to “Vibrovision”. We will reduce the size of the main block and the bracelets, as the components will be installed on a single panel. We also plan to use higher quality ultrasound sensors and a video camera, which will increase the accuracy of the device. In addition, lighter and more durable plastic would be used to produce the box, a more attractive and more comfortable product design would be created and the wristband components would be arranged in a semicircle around the hand.

The final product would be attractive to consumers and could compete with other devices on the market, not only because of the functions performed, but also because of the price. According to our calculations, the prototype cost is only 70-80 €, and the price of the finished product, using higher quality and durable components, does not exceed 200 €. We believe that this is an important factor in terms of potential buyers with high demand and limited budget.