Ultrasonic Blind Stick for Visually Impaired People using GPS and GSM.

1.1 Its been a long time for me talking to you all my pals, I am here to share one of my innovative project that I have made during the final years of my Under Graduation.

Its a blind stick which is immensely useful for providing improved navigation utilizing GPS and GSM technologies.

LITERATURE SURVEY

2.1 Introduction

The statistics by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2011 estimates that there are 285 billion people in world with visual impairment, 39 billion of people are blind and 246 billion are with low vision, and around 15 million people are blind in India, The World Health Organization expects this number to increase in the coming years. This paper proposes the design and develops a portable unit (stick) for the blind people for easy use and navigation in public places. The most widely used stick is the long cane because it can feel the nature of the path and detect obstacles in the path of the blind person.

2.2 Research Papers

S.Gangwar (2011) designed a smart stick for blind which can give early warning of an obstacle using Infrared (IR) sensors. After identifying the obstacles, the stick alerts the visually impaired people using vibration signals. However the smart stick focused only for obstacle detection but it is not assisting for emergency purposes needed by the blind. And also the IR sensors are not really efficient enough because it can detect only the nearest obstacle in short distance.

S.Chew (2012) proposed the smart white cane, called Blind spot that combines GPS technology, social networking and ultrasonic sensors to help visually impaired people to navigate public spaces. The GPS detects the location of the obstacle and alerts the blind to avoid them hitting the obstacle using ultra-sonic sensors. But GPS did not show the efficiency in tracing the location of the obstacles since ultra-sonic tells the distance of the obstacle .

Benjamin etal (2011) had developed a smart stick using laser sensors to detect the obstacles and down curbs . Obstacle detection was signalized by a high pitch ―BEEP‖ using a microphone. The design of the laser cane is very simple and intuitive.The stick can only detects obstacle, but can not provide cognitive and psychological support. There exists only beep sound that triggers any obstacle and there is no any assistance to direct them.

Central Michigan University (2009) developed an electronic cane for blind people that would provide contextual information on the environment around the user. They used RFID chips which are implanted into street signs, store fronts, similar locations, and the cane reads those and feeds the information back to the user . The device also features an ultrasound sensor to help to detect objects ahead of the cane tip.

Mohd Helmyabd Wahab and Amirul A. Talibetal (2011) developed a cane could communicate with users through voice alert and vibration signal) . Ultrasonic sensors are used to detect obstacle in front, since ultrasonic sensors are good in detecting obstacle in few meters range and this information will be sent in the form of voice signal. This voice signal is send via speaker to the user. Here blind people might find it difficult in travelling without any emergency alert rather than having only ultrasonic sensors.

Alejandro R. Garcia Ramirez and Renato Fonseca Livramento da Silvaetal (2012) designed an assistive technology device called the electronic long cane to serve as a mobility aid for blind and visually impaired people .The author implements the cane with an ergonomic design and an embedded electronic system, which fits inside the handle of a traditional long cane. The system was designed using haptic sensors to detect obstacles above the waistline. It works in such a way when an obstacle isdetected; the cane vibrates or makes a sound. However this system only detects obstacle above the waistline.

Joao José, Miguel Farrajota, Joao M.F. Rodrigues (2011) designed a smart stick prototype. It was small in size, cheap and easily wearable navigation aid. This blind stick functions by addressing the global navigation for guiding the user to some destiny and local navigation for negotiating paths, sidewalks and corridors, even with avoidance of static as well as moving obstacles .

Shruti Dambhare and A.Sakhare (2011) designed an artificial vision and object detection with real-time assistance via GPS to provide a low cost and efficient navigation aid for blind which gives a sense of artificial vision by providing information about the environmental scenario of static and dynamic objects around them .

Project Prakash‖ is a humanitarian mission to help the blind children especially by training them to utilize their brains to learn a set objects around them. In , the stick has a ping sonar sensor to sense the distant objects. It also has a wet detector to detect the water. The micro-controller used is PIC microcontroller. The microcontroller circuit is on the outside of the stick but is protected with a code so its security cannot be breached.

Voice operated outdoor navigation system for visually impaired persons done by Osama Bader ALBarrm International Journal of Latest Trends in Engineering and Technology. Uses a stick equipped with ultra-sonic sensors, GPS and audio output system. The stick contains GPS along with a SD memory card which used to store different locations .The user can use voice commands to input the desired location This system will also provide the speed and the remaining distance to reach the distention.

2.3 Existing Safe and Secure Methodologies for Blind Man

1. Blind Cane

A blind cane is used by many people who are blind or visually impaired. Primarily it aids its user to scan their surroundings for obstacles or orientation marks, but is also helpful for other traffic participants in identifying the user as blind or visually impaired and talking appropriate care. The latter is the reason for the cane’s prominent white colour, which in many jurisdictions is mandatory.

But is also helpful for other traffic participants in identifying the user as blind or visually impaired and talking appropriate care. The latter is the reason for the cane’s prominent white colour, which in many jurisdictions is mandatory.

2. Trained Guide Dogs

Guide dogs, (also known as service animals, assistance animals or colloquially as seeing eye dogs),are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.

Although dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, many are (red– green) colour blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs. The human does the directing, based on skills acquired through previous mobility training. The handler might be likened to an aircraft's navigator, who must know how to get from one place to another, and the dog is the pilot, who gets them there safely.

In several countries, guide dogs, along with most service and hearing dogs, are exempt from regulations against the presence of animals in places such as restaurants and public transportation.

3. Human Guide

Sighted guide, or human guide, technique is being used when an individual who is blind or visually impaired (the follower) is led by holding the arm, just above the elbow, of another individual (the guide). Years ago most people believed that only persons who have vision can be guides, hence the widely used term "sighted guide."

2.4 Drawbacks of Existing Methodology

1. Blind Cane

· Awkwardness

· Recognition of obstacles up to knee level

· Does not protect from obstacles at torso and face level

· Prone to injuries

2. Trained Guide Dogs

· 1% Usage

· Expensive to Train Dogs($40K in USA)

· Training period on an average 6 months.

· Difficulty in dog up-keeping costs and lifestyle changes.

3. Human Guide

· Dependency

· Feeling of being a burden.

2.5 Implementation of Existing Methodologies

Ultra Sonic Blind stick with integration of Ultra Sonic Sensors , GPS,GSM Modules is already existing we have extended, this project using :

Water Sensor - which helps the blind person to detect presence of water and provide an alert in time for path change so as to avoid slipping.

RF remote – To find the lost stick.

SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION

3.1 Arduino Uno Ide Programmer

A program for Arduino may be written in any programming language with compilers that produce binary machine code for the target processor. Atmel provides a development environment for their microcontrollers, AVR Studio and the newer Atmel Studio.

The Arduino project provides the Arduino integrated development environment (IDE), which is a cross-platform application written in the programming language Java. It originated from the IDE for the languages Processing and Wiring. It includes a code editor with features such as text cutting and pasting, searching and replacing text, automatic indenting, brace matching, and syntax highlighting, and provides simple one-click mechanisms to compile and upload programs to an Arduino board. It also contains a message area, a text console, a toolbar with buttons for common functions and a hierarchy of operation menus.

A program written with the IDE for Arduino is called a sketch. Sketches are saved on the development computer as text files with the file extension .ino. Arduino Software (IDE) pre-1.0 saved sketches with the extension .pde.

The Arduino IDE supports the languages C and C++ using special rules of code structuring. The Arduino IDE supplies a software library from the Wiring project, which provides many common input and output procedures. User-written code only requires two basic functions, for starting the sketch and the main program loop, that are compiled and linked with a program stub main() into an executable cyclic executive program with the GNU toolchain, also included with the IDE distribution. The Arduino IDE employs the program avrdude to convert the executable code into a text file in hexadecimal encoding that is loaded into the Arduino board by a loader program in the board's firmware.

The open-source nature of the Arduino project has facilitated the publication of many free software libraries that other developers use to augment their projects.

4.1 Conclusion

The project ”ULTRA SONIC BLIND STICK FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE USING GPS AND GSM” has been successfully designed and tested. Integrating the features of all the hardware components used have developed this project. Presence of every module reasoned out a placed carefully thus contributing to the best working of the unit. Secondly, using highly advanced IC’s and with the help of growing technology the project has been successfully implemented.during the implementation of the project, we have studied diversified applications of the ultra sonic blind stick using GPS and GSM which leads to effective operation without any imperfections and it mainly reduces the accidents. Our project ensures customer safety.

5.1 Future Scope

Ultrasonic blind stick is not limited to blind stick, but it can be applicable for the availability of locating the position of blind person and take necessary action. It can make human more safe from accidents, slippery areas, and any other emergency unwanted incidents by the use of GPS and GSM. It makes the world more comfortable and safer.The blind person can also find his/her misplaced stick in case when he loses it.