Inspiration
This project was inspired by the harsh challenges faced by visually impaired individuals in navigating their environment safely and independently. Witnessing these struggles, we felt a strong urge to develop a practical and efficient solution to assist them in overcoming obstacles and living a life closer to normalcy. Our goal was to create an accessible, user-friendly tool that enhances their safety and confidence while moving through their surroundings.
What it does
BeMyEyes is designed as a wearable assistant for visually impaired individuals. Worn near the chest, the device uses an ultrasonic sensor to detect obstacles in the user's path. Upon detecting an obstacle, it alerts the user by activating a buzzer, providing immediate feedback to avoid potential collisions. This proactive system significantly enhances mobility and independence. Additionally, the device incorporates an emergency feature which increases buzzer intensity by 50% and adds a pulsing effect, further enhancing its utility as a reliable companion for visually impaired individuals.
How we built it
The foundation of BeMyEyes lies in Arduino and Python programming. We used hardware components such as ultrasonic sensors, jumper wires, breadboards, a Raspberry Pi, a buzzer, a button, and a phone to create the fully functional device. The ultrasonic sensor serves as the core component for obstacle detection, while the buzzer provides auditory feedback. Arduino was used for programming and ensuring seamless integration of hardware components, while Python enabled advanced functionalities and data handling. We even used the huggingface API in order the describe the image surrounding the visually impaired person.
Challenges we ran into
The development process was not without hurdles. One major challenge was sourcing the required hardware components, some of which were initially unavailable. We also faced difficulties in transferring the project code from the computer to the phone for portability, ensuring that the device could be worn comfortably near the chest. Another limitation was the lack of a mini camera for environmental detection, which we eventually resolved to a satisfactory degree.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We take immense pride in the progress we achieved, especially within a limited timeframe. Witnessing our vision come to life as a functional device was incredibly rewarding. The collaborative effort and perseverance of the team have been the cornerstones of this project.
What we learned
This project introduced us to Arduino programming, a language and platform new to most of us. We successfully learned and implemented solutions using Arduino to ensure seamless hardware integration. Additionally, this project deepened our understanding of hardware-software interfacing and problem-solving in constrained scenarios.
What's next for BeMyEyes
We believe BeMyEyes has great potential to evolve further. Future iterations could integrate AI/ML for more advanced obstacle and environment detection, leveraging multiple small cameras for enhanced accuracy and situational awareness. These upgrades would make the device even more intuitive and reliable for visually impaired individuals.
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