Tyflos Blind LIDAR

DESCRIPTION

Hello, my name is Albert Anwar and I am currently working in a team of four for a class project, a LIDAR based device for the blind. The device would use LIDAR technology to determine where objects within the vicinity of the user are located. It would allow a person with limited vision to be able to judge where objects are, and avoid them. Our system would not replace the traditional cane, but rather act as a supplement with the ability to be used without the cane in close quarters. We hope we can receive a sponsorship from PCBWay to help us develop the electronics for this project!

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Our system will consist of a haptic headset device with a portable, centralized LIDAR system mounted on the headset. The headset would go on the user’s forehead and would be powered by a battery. The LIDAR sensor would rotate on an axis to make sure that it is getting a 180 degree view for the user. The sensor will detect any obstructions in this range, and then relay this information to a central processor, also mounted on the headset. The processor will detect the distance of the objects and turn on the haptic motors, placed around the forehead, and alert the wearer of the headset of the nearby object.

Our current prototype of the device consists of a 3D printed headband made of PLA plastic. The haptic motors around the forehead are replaced with rumbling motors, but will still alert the wearer when turned on. The prototype does not currently include a LIDAR sensor, but instead the motors are controlled by an Arduino and an 8-bit shift register to verfity that the alerting system works. Currently, we are working on implementing laser sensors into a newer version of the prototype, which would be a cost-effective version of the LIDAR sensor that will be implemented later. We also plan on integrating a microcontroller with each of the vibrating motors to reduce the amount of wires in the system.

Words to PCBWay

We hope that PCBWay can help sponsor us in making the PCBs required for our electrical system, including the creation of our own microcontroller boards!