A hat for the visually impaired

At present, the most popular mobility aid for the visually impaired is the cane. However, the cane is limited to detecting ground level obstructions and it has a relatively short range, giving little early warning signals to the user.

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*inSight* is a mobility aid for the visually impaired that is designed to accompany the cane. The product is in the form of a hat so as not to draw unwanted attention. The hat houses sonar technology that sends and receives ultrasonic sound pulses to judge distances to obstacles. The information is conveyed to the user through tiny vibrations varying in intensity and frequency depending on the proximity of the object.

Sewn into the brim of the hat are three tactile buttons: an on/off button, another to adjust the vibration intensity and a third one to switch between long and short range mode.

A project by Owen Roseblade.