Vital signs are a month-long program that brings health stories from around the world to the audience. (CNN)--
Professor Meenakshi Balakrishnan explained: "On the streets, the sidewalks are packed with street vendors, animals, street lights and other obstacles, these obstacles even give sight to a computer engineer at Delhi Indian Institute of Technology.
Balakrishnan leads the team behind "smartcanem", a new device that uses ultrasound to guide visually impaired people through busy India by using widely used white crutches
"White crutches are a good device that can provide a lot of information to users," he said . "
"But it is very poor when detecting obstacles above the waist and there is no touch --
Points on the ground, such as branches that stretch out your path.
"Smartcane's team meets this challenge by copying the skills of animals such as bats, which make sonar calls to the surrounding environment and use the echo reflected back from nearby objects to transfer the surroundings.
The smart technology version emits an ultrasound by means of a device connected to a standard white cane;
It detects them when the user returns and uses vibration to notify the user of any obstacles on their way.
The real benefit comes from an ultrasound scan with a span of 45 degrees above the knee, providing information that is not available with regular crutches.
When people move crutches from left to right while walking, the vibration detected on one side means they should move to the other.
Read: Carpenter cut his finger and made himself a new person. Different modes and vibration intensity tell the user the distance of the object that hinders their way forward, up to 3 m as far as possible.
Smart and low-cost smartcane are not the first of its kind, and have similar technologies in countries such as South Korea, Taiwan and the UK, which have had "super capacitors" since 2011"
Ultra-Cold narrow
The beam is precisely navigated, allowing skilled users to advance at normal walking speeds.
It can help you "navigate" rather than simply "avoid hitting something ".
"Dr. Paul Clark, director of Voice Foresight Technology Co. , Ltd. , explained that his ultra-cold device provides information on direction and distance, when helping the mobility of its thousands of users worldwide, this is an obstacle.
But the retail price of more than $1,000 makes it difficult to reach in many developing countries.
"The purpose of the supercomputer is to provide a device for the blind and visually impaired communities to have independent individual mobility outside the home," he said . ".
The company recently launched a "Ultrabike", a device installed on a bicycle that uses vibration to provide greater freedom on supervised bicycle tracks.
"Under controlled and supervised conditions, Ultrabike offers an opportunity to experience the blind and visually impaired ---or re-experience --
"Ride a bike," Clark said.
However, the goal of Ballack rishnan and his team is very low.
Providing independent cost technology to 15 million people who are estimated to be blind in India, where blindness is a national health priority.
"Our goal is low.
"The cost economy starts in India," said Balakrishnan . ". "In high-
In income countries, the sidewalks are wider and fairly safe, with few obstacles, but there are many obstacles in India, which means people with impaired vision are reluctant to leave their homes.
"Smartcane has recently completed the retail of Rs 3,000 India for just $50 and 150 users from all over the country have completed the trial and can now be purchased.
The remaining challenge is to find and reach out to millions of visually impaired Indians, many of whom live in the poorest and most remote communities.
"It is estimated that 5 million people are blind, they are at the age of production and need independent mobility to work or go to school and become part of the mainstream," concluded Balakrishnan . ".
"We are working through schools, hospitals and local NGOs that have access to the people we need to reach.
"The goal is to have at least 50 partners, including government agencies and local NGOs, not only in India, but will also bring independence to all visually impaired people, but ultimately benefit other low-income people
Income population.
Read: Carpenter cut off his fingers and refreshed himself read: Is this the return of the "white plague?