Two researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) developed 3d printed infrared goggles that allow blind people to effortlessly navigate and avoid obstacles with aid of vibrating pads on the forearm.

Researchers Manuel Zahn and Armaghan Ahmad Khan published a paper describing 3d camera and a haptic sleeve. They wrote in the study that “The most common tool available to them is the cane. Although the cane allows good detection of objects in the user’s immediate vicinity, it lacks the ability to detect obstacles further away. It also remains incapable of detecting obstacles above waist height that have no or minimal ground foundations (e.g., bar tables etc.)”

The new technology could replace traditional tools such as cane which always keep one hand occupied. The new device allows the users to detect more distant obstacles and keep their hands free while they navigate.

The device is composed of a pair of infrared cameras inserted into a 3d printed frame. These cameras capture a stereoscopic image that is sent to a small computer to create a map of the user’s surroundings. This map is programmed into a 2d vibration array on a haptic feedback sleeve on the forearm that inform the user via vibration.

The sleeve has 25 sewn-in actuators that vibrate slightly when the user moves closer towards an obstacle and gradually increases as the user gets closer, warning them of hurdles ahead.

Since the goggles use infrared cameras, the device manages to consistently sense obstacles indoors at distances of up to 3 meters while it also helps users navigate in complete darkness, which means it may be useful for other use cases. Volunteers in testing were able to navigate obstacles with near-perfect accuracy of 98.6%.

In further developments researchers are planning to implement object recognition that could allow the system to artificially generate bordered paths for navigation.

Researchers concluded their study by stating that “their solution is low-cost, lightweight and designed for indoor as well as outdoor usage. The haptic feedback sleeve does not interfere with the user’s sense of hearing, which is extensively used by the visually impaired. It also takes away stigmatization, allowing blind people to add a useful tool for more independence, safety and confidence”.