Rehabilitation assistance is used for people who have moderate or high percentage of getting back to their routine life. What about for people with permanent impairment? Biomedical Engineers are indulged in contributing towards development of hearing aids, speech aid and mobility aids for people with hearing, speech and vision impairment respectively. Mobility Aid is acknowledged to low technology mechanical devices.

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To transfer the weight from legs to the upper body, mobility tool called crutch can be used. Several type of crutches like the forearm crutches, underarm crutches, arthritis crutches, and leg support crutches are used by people who cannot use their legs to support their body weight.

The most common mobility aid to be seen is a wheelchair, which are available in hospitals, airports, and most of the public places for disabled or partially abled people who cannot travel from one point to another.

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For a visually impaired individual, mobility refers to move easily, quickly and safely through different environments independently. An elderly person makes use of a walking cane or a walker for balanced and stable movement. The cane is also used in cases for people with weakness in leg or trunk.

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I too had the chance of contributing little something to mobility aid and its importance during a technical fest held at my Manipal Institute of technology during my under-graduation period. I had built a replica of “Smartcane – blind walking stick” and participated in an event organized in the year 2014.

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The prototype consisted of a crook at the top end which formed to be a holder. It had a plastic grip to be held comfortably and transmitted the vibration, providing information about the nature of the ground. The shaft was the main part of the prototype which provided the rigidity to the device. Towards the lower end of the shaft was the sensor system that I had built using an Arduino. I used an ultrasonic sensor as an obstacle detector and connected it with a speaker to give the feedback in the form of sound if any obstacle detected. I had modified the shaft in such a manner so as to vary the length of cane for different individuals. The tip, bottom most part of the device, had a roller wheel which allowed a smooth movement for the individual.

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This experience gave me the reason to serve the society as a biomedical engineer. During the event, I realized the pain and uncomfortableness that a visually impaired person encounters on a regular basis.

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The Smartcane can be addressed as a significant advancement in technology that depicts the technologically equipped canes with improved functionality and economical accessibility. This product can eliminate the various problems for the blind using sensory technology to provide freedom of physical range.

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Many organizations have brought the blind walking stick up to technological modernity by maintaining its affordable price. Various social services group has provided these products free of cost to the genuinely required individuals around the globe. Speaking of the market for this product, it is does not have a huge demand in country like India where we have uneven roads and no proper footpath to walk on.