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Visual impairments are one of the most prevalent issues plaguing the world. An estimated 2.2 Billion people have visual impairments and that hinders their autonomy. Losing the sense of sight is devastating, it uproots their entire life, reduces their autonomy and quality of life. We aimed to help them regain their depth perception, to allow them to regain a part of themselves.
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We set out to design a custom device for visually impaired users that reliably and accurately assesses information about user's environment and relays meaningful information to the user, allowing them to possess a high degree of navigational autonomy and quickly become aware of oncoming physical obstacles or people.
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Path Pulse is a device that goes around the chest of the user. A motor is used in conjunction with a rack and pinion in order to move a distance sensor across the modular railings which wraps around the chest. A microprocessor calculates the distance and velocity of nearby objects sensed by the senor and send alerts based on pre-programmed thresholds. These alerts are tactile in nature which are caused by vibration motors attached strategically around the body. A language of vibrations is created which, with experience, relays information about distance and velocity to the user, use the users sense of touch to mimic sight.
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After convincing my team to continue forward with this idea, I sketched out a rough idea of what I aimed for. A modular device that attaches to the belt of the user which has a loop where a distance sensor moves across it relaying information to a microprocessor which is encased along the belt. Many differing ideas where suggested where, taking inspiration from a tape measure, a spool of flattened wire with a distance sensor is attached moves across using a motor. This idea was further developed during Phase 2 and 3.
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After the first sketch, my team and I discussed the pros and cons and then I suggested that multiple sensors should be attached in parallel with minimal moving parts to increase reliability. The scope of the project was currently was a device that could help the visually impaired avoid failing on stairs or uneven terrain but later on we realized that our device could do so much more.
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After we decided on the “What” and the “Why” we moved on to decide the “How.” After disassembling a tape measure and reassembling it, an idea came to me. Using the same mechanism and a thin sheet of metal, we can get the sensor to wrap around the body why still keeping to the persons skin contours. I later designed a mechanism the used a spool that and railings but due to the arrangement of the housing, having a spool would drastically increase the width of the housing making it uncomfortable for patients. I then redesigned it to have a chain mechanism where the sensor moves along with the chain.
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As part of the CAD team and based on my design I set out to CAD a modular link with railings inside for the sensor to ride in. After multiple different iterations of the design, I ended up with this. With filleted edges that allow only minor movements, to holes and rods placed in precise locations to allow modularity. This was the culmination of multiple different iterations and input from my team. I also designed a spool, the original housing and designed the laser cut files on all the pieces of the final prototype.
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