Braille walking cane for the visually impaired

What it does

1. Public transportation Hi-pass 2. Tactile route guidance 3. Braille guidance using sound of photographed objects 4. Braille sticker printing for photographed objects

Your inspiration

One day, while riding a bus, a visually impaired person got on the bus. The visually impaired person searched for a bus terminal for three minutes, and eventually asked people around him to tap his card to pay the bus fare. That's when I realized that the location of the terminal is different for each bus. I thought it would be nice if visually impaired people could freely find their way around on their own, and that's how I came up with this business idea.

How it works

① Wireless payment of public transportation fares - Active RFID equipped. - Wireless public transportation fare calculation the moment you board the bus. - No need to tap the transportation card, no need to look for a terminal. ② Tactile Path Guidance ① Press the cane button ② Voice input of the destination ③ Navigation direction pin pops out ③ Braille guide to photographed objects ① Hold an object with one hand, hold a cane with the other hand, and recognize objects ② Objects recognized through the camera ③ ‘Sound guidance’ ④ ‘Braille guidance’ -> [Public places, places where it is noisy and difficult to hear, places where it is necessary to be quiet] ④ Printing Braille stickers for photographed objects 1. Objects recognized by my camera in the cane 2. Printing Braille sticker labels using a Braille printer 3. Printed Braille stickers attached in everyday life

Design process

1. 100% completion of hardware first prototype development 2. Software development 100% complete 3. Dot Consulting for the Visually Impaired 4. Domestic patent completed Overseas patent application in progress 5. 4D MIXX Technology Partner

How it is different

Q. Did you know that “existing smart canes for the visually impaired” cannot be used by the visually impaired? - Existing smart canes guide obstacles in front with sound or vibration through ultrasonic sensors - However, they also recognize people on the road as obstacles - The obstacle presence alarm sounds every second, making it impossible to use in practice - Focus on other functions, excluding obstacle detection functions that cannot be used in practice

Future plans

Completed ● Domestic and overseas patent applications completed, hardware, SW application production completed. ● Accumulated funding amount 140 million won. ● Securing existing visually impaired business partners through collaboration with visually impaired companies. ● In other words, the first product is complete, and all that needs to be done is to sell it after product advancement. July 2025 ● Product advancement through 100 million won in support of preliminary startup package ● Delivery of products to pre-funded customers, sales in domestic market (welfare center)

Awards