Drishya- Smart Glasses for Visually Impaired

What it does

Drishya Smart Glasses, a cutting edge technology- assists the visually impaired with voice commands, obstacle alerts, environment narration, SOS, OCR text reading, face recognition & GPS navigation—enhancing independence, safety, and confidence in daily life.

Your inspiration

Our inspiration came from real-life encounters with visually impaired individuals struggling during daily commutes and public interactions. Seeing their challenges while traveling, crossing roads, accessing basic information deeply moved us. Additionally, being part of social service camps and working with NGOs gave us firsthand insight into their daily struggles. These experiences made us realize the urgent need for a smart, assistive solution that could truly empower them. This led to the idea of creating Drishya Smart Glasses a device that combines technology with empathy to help visually impaired people lead safer, more independent lives.

How it works

Drishya Smart Glasses looks like a normal pair of glasses or sunglasses but is packed with powerful features. Features include: Voice Assistant, Obstacle Detection, Environment Description, Emergency SOS, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) – Instantly converts text into speech, Face Recognition, Navigation, Calling and Messaging The device works through voice commands. A user can simply say phrases like “Start obstacle detection” or “Start reading mode,” and the glasses respond with the requested function. Once activated, the obstacle detection feature scans the surroundings and alerts the user of nearby objects. The reading mode uses a built-in camera to scan printed text from a book, sign, or document and reads it aloud using inbuilt earphones. These features work together to make day-to-day life easier, safer, and more independent for visually impaired users

Design process

Our journey began with the first prototype, built using large webcam-style cameras and ultrasonic sensors. All wiring was manually done, and only basic functionalities like voice assistance and obstacle detection were implemented. Though functional, it was bulky and not suitable for everyday use. We moved on to build 3-4 iterative prototypes, each improving upon the previous in terms of hardware size, software stability, and usability. In the second and third versions, we refined sensor placement, optimized the codebase, and attempted to reduce the form factor. While these were more portable, exposed wires and some bulkiness still made them impractical for daily wear. The current model marks a significant leap. We integrated better sensors and compact HD cameras, enabling all key features like environment description, OCR, navigation, and face recognition to function seamlessly. We also redesigned the physical frame—replacing traditional eyeglass arms with a flexible, ergonomic headband for better grip and all-day comfort. All modules are now custom-designed to be lightweight, wireless, and discreet, ensuring a sleek, secure, and user-friendly experience for the visually impaired.

How it is different

Drishya Smart Glasses stand out as a completely independent, all-in-one solution that doesn’t require any connection to a mobile phone or app to function. Unlike other products which rely on external devices or limited feedback systems, Drishya offers built-in processing, voice interaction, and real-time output through inbuilt earphones—ensuring seamless user experience without added complexity. While other products mainly offers vibration-based feedback Drishya combines voice-controlled commands, obstacle detection, environment narration to describe the surroundings of the user, text reading (OCR),face recognition, and GPS navigation all built directly into the device. There are no bulky attachments, and the sleek, ergonomic headband ensures a secure and comfortable fit. This all-in-one, handsfree experience gives Drishya a major edge, offering greater autonomy, ease of use, and daylong wearability making it a truly next-gen solution for the visually impaired.

Future plans

The future plans include to make Drishya Smart Glasses completely wireless for enhanced comfort and mobility. Add customizable prescription lenses for users with partial visual impairment. Develop a compact, attachable version that clips onto any regular glasses. Add support for multiple regional and international languages for broader usability. Partner with NGOs, healthcare providers, and government bodies for wider reach. Aim to make assistive technology affordable, accessible, and customizable for all visually impaired users.

Awards

Winner - PRAGATII hackathon by TIH i-hub Drishti, IIT Jodhpur Winner -Pravega Innovation Summit by IISC Banglore Winner - i-nnovate Hackathon, Intelliswift Winner - Tech Expo, Techniche 2024, IIT Guwahati Seed Prize Winner - Taco Bell Foundation Ambition Accelerator 2nd Place - Project Competition, BITS Pilani Rajasthan