What it does
"SightStep Buddy" is an intelligent walking assist device specially designed for visually impaired children aged 1 to 6. It can help such children shorten their walking learning cycle by 60%,
Your inspiration
The inspiration originates from the real case of Tutu, a 14-month-old visually impaired child: When witnessing Tutu unsteadily standing up from the blind path and bravely taking small steps in the dark solely by his own strength, we deeply realized the environmental perception difficulties faced by visually impaired children due to the lack of visual mechanisms - they are unable to establish visual spatial memory, have significant obstacles in basic life skills such as walking, and their motor mechanism development is generally behind that of children of the same age, in urgent need of targeted motor training assistance.
How it works
The design of this assistive device for visually impaired children focuses on enabling safe walking and training motor mechanisms, integrating multiple practical functions. The main features include a distance-measuring alarm system that uses ultrasonic sensors to precisely monitor obstacles ahead, triggering dual alerts (vibration and sound) at critical distances. An emotion recognition function employs a high-definition camera and OpenCV algorithm to extract facial features, analyze emotional states through real-time frame analysis and motion tracking, and activate pre-recorded maternal voice prompts for comfort during emotional fluctuations. The walker features a simple design with a fixed shaft for joint rotation, allowing height adjustment for different age groups.
Design process
The assistive walking design for visually impaired infants and young children centers on facilitating safe walking. Aiming at the challenge of training the motor mechanisms of visually impaired children, it integrates multiple practical functions. The main functions include distance measurement and alarm: relying on ultrasonic sensors, it accurately monitors the distance of obstacles ahead, and uses dual alarms of vibration and sound to prompt children to avoid when reaching the critical distance. The emotion recognition function uses high-definition cameras and OpenCV algorithms to extract facial image features of young children and analyze their emotional characteristics. Meanwhile, through real-time frame analysis and motion tracking, it accurately captures children's emotional states, and links with pre-recorded voice prompts from mothers to provide timely comfort and guidance when children's emotions fluctuate. The walker has a simple appearance design. The device structure uses a fixed shaft to rotate two joints, which can be adjusted for children of different age groups and heights.
How it is different
The "Safeguard Pedestrian Mobility" is precisely targeted at the needs of young visually impaired children: specifically designed for visually impaired children aged 1-6, it breaks through the applicability limitations of traditional blind canes/adult assistive devices. It matches the motor development characteristics of children through adjustable height structures, safe grip designs, and sensory interaction functions. It applies the integration of ultrasonic ranging and AI emotional recognition dual technologies: integrating ultrasonic obstacle monitoring and binocular AI vision systems. The internal camera trains an emotional recognition model based on more than 7,000 expression datasets, and the external camera uses the YOLOv8n algorithm to detect environmental risks in real time, constructing a dual protection mechanism of "safety protection + emotional care".
Future plans
The future plan of "SightStep Buddy" focuses on technological upgrading, hardware optimization, scenario adaptation, and social value extension. It will innovate and implement unachieved functional features, optimize AI models for embedded platforms, establish a parent feedback platform, add APP functions, and regularly collect usage data (such as grasping habits and alarm frequency).
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