Walking Stick That Could Assist People In Finding Things

In order to create a new type of walking stick for those who are blind or visually challenged, engineers at the university of Colorado Boulder are utilizing developments in artificial intelligence

The researchers claim that their “smart” walking stick may one day aid blind individuals in doing tasks in a world built for sighted people, such as choosing a private seat in a crowded diner or shopping for cereal at the grocery store.

The department of computer science doctorate student shivendra Agrawa said, “I truly enjoy food shopping and spend a lot of time in the supermarket. “However, it can be very limiting for those who are unable to accomplish that. we believe this issue can be resolve.”

In a study released in October, Agrawal and his colleagues from the collaborative artificial intelligence and robotics lab took a step towards resolving the problem.

The team’s cane looks a lot like the white and red cane you can get at Walmart, it also comes with a few extras: the walking stick catalogs and map its surroundings using a camera and computer vision software. After that it direct users using both spoken instruction and handle vibrations.

Using walking stick To Take A Seat

Agrawal and his colleagues first explored that potential by tackling a familiar problem: where do I sit? Researchers set up a café of sorts in their lab to see if it could help. Subjects were able to find the right chair in 10 out of 12 trials with varying levels of difficulty.

Like a self-driving car, algorithms running inside the laptop identified the various features in the room and then calculated the route to an ideal seat. The team reported its findings this fall at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Kyoto, Japan. Researchers on the study included Bradley Hayes, assistant professor of computer science, and doctoral student Mary Etta West. The study showed promising results: subjects were able to find the right chair in 10 out of 12 trials with varying levels of difficulty.

Let’s Go Shopping

In new research, which the team hasn’t yet published, Agrawal and his colleagues adapted their device for a task that can be daunting for anyone: finding and grasping products in aisles filled with dozens of similar-looking and similar-feeling choices.Again, the team set up a makeshift environment in their lab: this time, a grocery shelf stocked with several different kinds of cereal. The device scans shelves filled with dozens of similar-looking and similar-feeling choices. It assigns a score to the objects present, selecting what is the most likely product, researcher Amit Agrawal says. The researchers created a database of product photos, such as boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios or Apple Jacks, into their software.

Conclusion

‘Smart’ walking stick could help visually impaired with groceries, finding a seat. Researchers at University of Colorado Boulder are tapping into advances in artificial intelligence. Using a camera and computer vision technology, the walking stick maps and catalogs the world around it. It then guides users by using vibrations in the handle and with spoken directions. Subjects strapped on a backpack with a laptop in it and picked up the smart walking stick to survey the room.

Like a self-driving car, algorithms running inside the laptop identified the various features in the room then calculated the route to an ideal seat. The team hopes their research will inspire other engineers to rethink what robotics and AI are capable of. “Then the system issues commands like ‘move a little bit to your left.’ “He added that it will be a while before the team’s walking stick makes it into the hands of real shoppers.

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