Smart Cane Could Help Blind ID Faces

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High-tech sticks could help visually impaired people spot obstacles and even identify acquaintances as they approach. Larry Greenemeier reports.

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Foldable white canes help the navigate their surroundings. But the guide stick’s tactile nature offers only so much . The cane’s user must manually find and avoid obstructions. But new high-tech canes are on the horizon.

Last year researchers in India tried to fill in some of the missing info with their experimental . The device uses an attached ultrasonic transmitter and a sensor that vibrates the cane to warn its users when an obstacle is within three meters.

Students at the U.K.’s Birmingham City University are developing a cane that can even identify acquaintances as they approach. Called the , it includes an embedded digital camera that analyzes the faces of people walking by and compares their images against a database stored on a memory card in the cane’s handle.

If there’s a facial recognition match, the cane alerts the user’s smartphone via Bluetooth. The phone then identifies the approaching person to the user via its speaker or earbuds. The students are building a prototype they’ll test later this year.

The hurdles are significant: facial recognition is a tough problem, especially outdoors. But if the XploR works, it could actually give the visually impaired a leg up on everyone else—especially those of us who never remember people’s names.

—Larry Greenemeier

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