SASB, the smart vest for visually impaired people

Many technologies have been tested around the world to help blind and visually impaired people.

Just think of the Braille tablet, a project born at the University of Michigan that will allow blind and partially sighted people to feel images and text on the screen of a tablet (here).

The Buzzclip is another example of this technology, a small wearable device that uses ultrasounds to detect that may lie directly in a blind person’s path (here).

Today, we will introduce an idea developed by a group of Palestinian students at the Polytechnic University in Hebron. It is a smart vest that uses vibrations and vocal commands to help users navigate the world around them.

They called this new technology SASB, which is the acronym for Smart Assist System for Blind People.

When they designed the vest, the researchers had a very clear idea in mind: they wanted to provide visually impaired people with an alternative for the stick that they often use in their daily life.

Besides informing users about the best way forward, the SASB also tells them where the obstacles are on their right, left or in front.

But how can the user interact with this vest?

That is really simple: the SASB can also follow voice commands through headphones connected to the system. The voice commands, besides signaling the user possible hazards, also signal the battery capacity of the system, before switching immediately to energy saving mode before it runs out.

Ramzi Al Qawasm, researcher at Hebron University, says, “The students were able with their limited resources to design and execute this project. The project still needs more development with financial and moral support and needs to be embraced by institutions.” [source]

What do you think about this project?

Are you also a group of students or a start-up developing an analogous project?

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