Project description
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 285 million visually impaired people worldwide: 39 million being blind and 246 have low vision. Among this population, 90% live in a low-income setting which can prevent them from getting access to the right Healthcare in treatable cases. People above the age of 50 also happen to be the most vulnerable and the largest percentage of visually impaired. As most of these cases are treatable and most often caused by cataracts, the best solution would be proper and affordable health care which is, unfortunately, inaccessible to the majority of people who are visually impaired worldwide. People who are visually impaired often have trouble navigating everyday tasks such as taking a bus or going grocery shopping. The most common tool used to solve this problem is a walking cane. A walking cane, however, has limitations such as lacking the ability to give directions and therefore can only be used if the user knows where they are going, to begin with.
We plan on using a minimal viable product approach to create a device with sensors that would be able to detect obstacles around the individual as well as unexpected obstacles such as holes in the ground. To have the maximum impact it would be ideal if most of the device components are sustainably and locally sourced. This would also allow users to customize and repair the product whenever needed.