Robotic White Cane for the Blind

The creation of a new robotic white cane for the blind community was funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Eye Institute (NEI) and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). The white cane features a color 3D camera and an inertial measurement sensor to help the visually impaired navigate safely indoors.

“Many people in the visually impaired community consider the white cane to be their best and most functional navigational tool, despite it being century-old technology,” said Cang Ye, Ph.D., lead author of the study and professor of computer science at the College of Engineering at the Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond. “For sighted people, technologies like GPS-based applications have revolutionized navigation. We’re interested in creating a device that closes many of the gaps in functionality for white cane users.”

Please contact SDCB to learn more about our vision rehabilitation programs and services.

“NIH-funded modern “white cane” brings navigation assistance to the 21st century”