I-Corps: Georgia Tech iCorps Team: Walker, Yeung, and Solomon

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

Many of the millions of blind and low-vision people in the US and around the world use mobile devices such as iPhones, taking advantage of the built-in auditory user interface. When they want to make a call or check email while walking, including when they are actively using a white cane or holding the harness of a Guide Dog, they must stop, stow the cane or curb the dog; take out the phone; hold it to the ear to hear the auditory interface (or go through the added steps of donning headphones), and use swipes and taps to navigate the device?s spoken menus. This can be slow or even dangerous in a busy/noisy location. The proposed plan is to embed a robust, weatherproof remote control device into the handle of the white cane or dog harness. The user could then simply use his/her free thumb to interact with the remote's buttons while still using the white cane or holding the dog harness. Other potential users include cyclists, runners, hikers, skiers, and other active individuals. The team has developed a fully functional white cane handle (on a real white cane) that connects to an iPhone, and allows the user to interact with their iPhone while simultaneously using the cane as normal. The current prototype has evolved from sketches, to green foam models, to CAD models, to 3D printed dummy handles, and finally to 3D printed complete handles, with fully functioning buttons. The internal electronics for the prototype use the circuit board taken from a small Bluetooth keyboard. The buttons on the cane handle are physically wired to the keyboard circuit board's arrow keys. This works, and leverages the keyboard's existing connectivity to the phone. The team has demoed the fully functional prototype, and has started user testing to verify that the cane-to-iPhone connection works as expected, that the user can interact comfortably and effectively with the cane, and that the user can access ther iPhone while walking.