A student named Luong Tieu Nguyen, Class 12A3, Ly Tu Trong High School, Nha Trang City has just introduced her invention of a smart stick for the visually impaired...
A student named Luong Tieu Nguyen, Class 12A3, Ly Tu Trong High School, Nha Trang City has just introduced her invention of a smart stick for the visually impaired.
The stick has such functions as detection of obstacles, health check and GPS tracking for the accurate location of the visually impaired, emergency press buttons, etc.
The smart stick with 40kHz sensor stick helps the visually impaired navigate around obstacles in the range 2 meters. The ascending alert sound of “beep” is activated when any obstacles are detected.
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In addition, the smart stick has other functions as heart rate measurement and blood pressure measurement according to the standards by the Ministry of Health. Caregivers can send messages to get information about the heart rate and blood pressure of the visually impaired. Health warnings can be sent to the visually impaired and their caregivers.
Nguyen Khac Duy, Vice-Director of Khanh Hoa Youth Support Center says the project of a smart stick for the visually impaired by Luong Tieu Nguyen is really practical. There have been similar creative ideas but this is the first time a student at such a young age has got engaged in such the complicated invention. The organizing board has given direction on some improvements to the project to make it more effective.
The high school student has used GPS and other technologies to develop the smart walking stick to aid the visually impaired. The GPS together with a mobile phone SIM is fixed to the stick. Feedbacks about the location of the visually impaired will be sent to caregivers when required by messaging.
There are also two emergency press buttons on the stick for the visually impaired to contact their relatives via phones when needed.
Luong Tieu Nguyen has invented to product based on the technologies that have been developed by others. However, she has added more functions, particularly emergency press buttons and GPS tracking, to the stick.
The smart stick has excelled over 280 creative products to win the third prize at the 2018 Contest on Youth Creativity & Business Start-up Ideas held by Khanh Hoa Youth Union.
Reportedly, the product is being further researched with the voice GPS directions that can give information on location and direction by speaking as well.
"Like the GPS driving directions app, I am doing research to integrate a map into the stick and activate the voice direction, navigation and route guide. If successfully researched, the product is expected to be more more efficient and helpful to the visually impaired," reveals Luong Tieu Nguyen.
V.Thanh
Translated by N.T
