SIGHT System: Next Generation Assistive Device for the Blind

The Gemstone Honors College at the University of Maryland is a research program in which students lead the research with the help of a mentor, usually a professor. Team SIGHT is one of these research teams. We are a Sophomore team looking to make a smartphone integrated device, referred to as the SIGHT System, that will become the assistive device of choice for the next generation of the blind, allowing them to more easily navigate unknown spaces. The SIGHT System will include the following:

• External scanning device (e.g. pair of glasses)
• Smartphone app
• Feedback device (e.g. pair of gloves)

The SIGHT System will provide the user with a greater knowledge of their surroundings than the traditional white cane, while also looking to not encumber the user in any way by requiring a hand like the white cane does. This means that not only will the blind know more about the surrounding area, but also interact with it more easily as they would have both hands free with the SIGHT System.

The SIGHT System's design will also be based on the opinions and comments we take directly from the blind community so that we can get a better idea of some general preferences of the blind. With this, the SIGHT System will be designed to fit the preferences of the blind, making it something that the blind community will want to use.

It's time to update the assistive devices of the blind community using the technology that has been developed since the introduction of the white cane. The need for an upgrade is long overdue, and we at team SIGHT look to be the ones to do just that.

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