Smart Electronic Walking Stick For Blind People

ISSN (Print) : 2320 – 3765
ISSN (Online): 2278 – 8875
International Journal of Advanced Research in Electrical,

Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering
(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)
Website: www.ijareeie.com
Vol. 7, Issue 3, March 2018
Smart Electronic Walking Stick for Blind

People
G.J. Pauline Jothi Kiruba1, T. C. Mohan Kumar2, S. Kavithrashree3, G. Ajith Kumar4
Assistant Professor, Department of EEE, INFO Institute of Engineering, Tamilnadu, India1
UG Student, Department of EEE, INFO Institute of Engineering, Tamilnadu, India2
ABSTRACT: Nowadays the blind and impaired people are suffering a lot because there are so many struggles for
blind peoples to reach their destination and also there are dangerous risks that blind persons must face. To avoid
uncomfortable walking experience, we have designed a smart electronic walking stick for blind people. Our paper
proposes a low-cost walking stick based on latest technology and a new implementation are made for efficient interface
for blind people. Basically, the ultrasonic sensor is implemented in the walking stick for detecting the obstacles in front
of the blind/impaired persons. If there are any obstacles, it will alert the blind person to avoid that obstacles and the
alert in the form of buzzer. daily in different aspects in order to provide flexible and safe movement for the people. In
this technology driven world, where people strive to live independently, this paper propose a low-cost 3D ultrasonic
stick for blind people to gain personal independence, so that they can move from one place to another easily and safely.
A portable stick is design and developed that detects the obstacles in the path of the blind using ultrasonic sensors. The
buzzer and vibration motor are activated when any obstacle is detected. In addition, the stick is equipped with GPS and
SMS message system. GPS system provide the information regarding the location of the blind person using the stick to
his family members. SMS system is used by the blind to send SMS message to the saved numbers in the
microcontroller in case of emergency. The programming of GPS modem, GSM modem, buzzer and vibration motor has
been successfully done for this system. Computer simulation is done to essence the performance of the system using
Proteous software.
KEYWORDS:Arduino Uno, Arduino IDE, Ultrasonic Sensor, GPS, GSM, LM35.
I. INTRODUCTION
Independence is the important methodology in achieving objectives, dreams and goals in life. Visually impaired/blind
persons find themselves challenging the dangerous paths to go out independently. There are millions of visually
impaired or blind people in this world who are always need the help from others. For many years the normal walking
stick became a well-known attribute to blind person's navigation and later efforts have been made to improve the
walking stick by adding remote sensor. Blind people have big problem when they walk on the street or stairs using
normal walking stick, but they have sharp haptic sensitivity. The electronic walking stick will help the blind person by
providing more efficient and convenient means of life.
Moving through an unknown environment becomes a real challenge for the blind or impaired people. Those who go
out from the house with the white stick, often use well-known routes and difficulties with new ones. Moreover, many
people simply afraid of being helpless in constant movement of people, vehicle and other road users. It is therefore
advisable to offer new solutions of the problems with existing technologies. This paper proposes the design and
develops a portable stick for a blind people/impaired people for convenient use and navigation in public and private
places.
Copyright to IJAREEIE DOI:10.15662/IJAREEIE.2018.0703026 1194

ISSN (Print) : 2320 – 3765
ISSN (Online): 2278 – 8875

II. LITERATURE SURVEY
Jismi Johnson et al., (2013), presents the smart walking Stick helps blind people in moving and allowing them
to perform their work easily and comfortably. The blind person cannot recognize what is the size of that object and how
far is he from the object. So, it is difficult for blind person to move here and there. The smart walking stick supports
Object recognition and output comes mainly in the form of Voice output. In Smart Walking Stick, we detect the object
with the help of a camera. The stick measures the distance between objects and Smart Walking Stick by Ultrasonic
sensor. When the objects or obstacles come in range of the ultrasonic sensor, the speaker tells Name of obstacle in front
of the stick. Images will be captured using a camera and the camera is connected to the Raspberry Pi. If any obstacle
comes in front of blind person, he can know about the obstacle by hearing the sound generated by the head phone. The
smart walking stick is very useful for the visually impaired persons for their safety and freedom from the other persons
at all the time.The developed system gives good results in detecting obstacles in front of the user [1].
K. Ramarethinam et al.,present the project is to provide the navigation information via audible messages and
hapticfeedback to the visually impaired people helping them to improve their mobility independently. The system
withportable self-contained feature that allows the blind people to travel through familiar and unfamiliarenvironment.
The proposed system consists of hardware and software. In this system the Braille capacitivetouch screen enables a
user-friendly communication with the systems. All the operations can be made with thistouch screen. The major
components are the GPS receiver and path detector used for receiving the currentposition and finding the current
position and finding the shortest path to the destination. The navigation processof the system will start once the user
gives the destination as voice command. The system is provided with anemergency button which will trigger an SMS
that will send the present location of the user (GPS coordinates) toa remote phone number asking for help, in case
emergency. In addition, the device provides user informationneeded, in audio format, including time, calendar, object
colour, alarm, obstacle detection, navigation direction,ambient light and temperature conditions. This project will help
the blind people in improving theircommunication ability and not to depend on none during walking in even unknown
areas [2].
Kher Chaitrali S et al., (2013), presents the visually impaired have to face many challenges in their daily life.
The problem gets worse when they travel to an unfamiliar location. Only few of the navigation systems available for
visually impaired people can provide dynamic navigation through speech output. In this paper, we propose a navigation
device for the visually impaired which is focused on providing voice output for obstacle prevention and navigation
using infrared sensors, RFID technology, and android devices. The device has proximity infrared sensors. RFID tags
are installed into public building and also integrated into blind person’s walking stick. This device is connected to an
android phone through Bluetooth. An android application is designed which gives voice navigation based on RFID tags
read and also updates person’s location information on the server. One more application is designed for family
members to access the blind person’s location through the server whenever needed.It aims to solve the problems faced
by the blind people in their daily life. The system also takes measures to ensure their safety [3].
Jini.S et al., paper presents the architecture and implementation of a system that will help the visually impaired
people to navigate using GPS technology. The system provides artificial guidance to the visually impaired through
known paths, that is the path for navigation has to be already stored in the microcontroller. The current latitude and
longitude values of the user are obtained using GPS. These values are continuously compared with the already stored
value in the microcontroller. Thus, helps the blind in navigation. The goal is to create a portable, simple and less costly
system that will allow user to travel through familiar and unfamiliar environments without the aid of guides. Also, it
provides voice recognition to detect obstacles. The obstacles are detected using three ultrasonic sensors, which are
placed on the left, right, and front positions of the blind. The commands and messages are played back to the blind via
APR9600 voice playback IC. The keypad used in system allows the user to select the desired locations to which he/she
wishes to go. Keypad consists of 12 keys where each key represents a location. Blind selects the key using Braille
language. The paper focuses on the development and evaluation of a Navigation system that makes use of Global
Positioning System, voice and ultrasonic sensor for obstacle detection. [4]

ISSN (Print) : 2320 – 3765
ISSN (Online): 2278 – 8875

III. POWER CIRCUIT
The input voltage should be between 9V and 12V DC and the current must be rated for a minimum of 250mA current
output, although you will likely want something more like 500mA or 1A output, as it gives you the current necessary to
power a servo or twenty LEDs if you want to. There must have a 2.1mm power plug on the Arduino end, and the plug
must be "centre positive", that is, the middle pin of the plug must be the + connection.
IV. SIMULATION MODELLING OF COMPONENTS
In this simulation, Arduino board, GSM, WIFI, heartbeat sensor, temperature sensor, water sensor, ultrasonic sensors
are present. The water sensor is connected to the Arduino pin (PC0) and this sensor is used to sense the water. If there
is any water content present in the water sensor it will give the input signal to the Arduino controller and through
Arduino board we can get the output via buzzer or vibration motor. Temperature sensor is connected to the Arduino
pin(PC1) and this sensor is used to the sense the temperature of the body. If the temperature level exceeds than the
normal body temperature, the sensor will sense and the output is displayed in the virtual terminal. Heart beat sensor is
connected to the Arduino pin(PC3) and this sensor is used to sense the heartbeat rate of that particular person and it will
upload to the cloud for the future analysis. GSM have both transmitter and receiver. Transmitter pin is connected to the
Arduino pin(PD5) and the receiver pin is connected to the Arduino pin(PD6). Through GSM the guardian will get the
message through mobile phone. The message through is the location of the blind person. Ultrasonic sensor is connected
to the Arduino pin (PD3 and PD4) and this sensor is used to find the obstacles. If there are any obstacles in front of that
blind people, the sensor will sense and send signals to the Arduino controller and the output through buzzer or vibration
motor the person can find the obstacles. The output results show that the system can provide the required output
notification (warning) to the user as sound or vibration while detecting the obstacles. The simulation shows that the
interfacing of the GPS modem, GSM modem, WIFI, Heartbeat sensor, ultrasonic sensor and temperature sensor is
successfully done.
Fig. 1 Simulation Circuit of the smart walking stick using Arduino

ISSN (Print) : 2320 – 3765
ISSN (Online): 2278 – 8875

V. BLOCK DIAGRAM
In the block diagram, it is shown that the sensors and modules (i.e., the input and the output units) are interfaced with
the Arduino UNO controller. The sensors are connected to Arduino as the input units and the output units are GSM
module, WI-FI module and the buzzer. There are RF transmitter and receiver are also included. The purpose of the RF
transmitter and receiver are used to find the stick by pressing the button in the transmitter unit and there will be an
indication in the receiver unit. In the transmitter unit there is an encoded and in the receiver unit there is decoder.
Fig. 2 Block Diagram of the smart waking stick using Arduino

VI. ARDUINO
The Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328. It has 14 digital Input/output pins (of which 6
can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP
header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to Support the microcontroller; simply connect it to a
computer with a USB cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started. The Uno differs from all
preceding boards in that it does not use the FTDI USB-to-serial driver chip. The Uno and version 1.0will be the
reference versions of Arduino, moving forward. The Uno is the latest in a series of USB Arduino boards, and the
reference model for the Arduino platform; for a comparison with previous versions.
VII. ESP8266-12E WIFI MODULE
ESP-12E is a low power consumption of the UART-WIFI module, with very competitive prices in the industry and
ultra-low power consumption technology, designed specifically for mobile devices and IOT applications, user's
physical device can be connected to a Wi-Fi wireless network, Internet or intranet communication and networking
capabilities. ESP-07 the use of small ceramic antenna package can support IPEX interface. users have a variety of
installation options.
VIII. METHODOLOGY
Here we are using Arduino UNO as the controller. So, the input and output units are interfaced with the Arduino
controller. The ultrasonic sensor is interfaced with Arduino as the input and the output for the ultrasonic sensor are in

ISSN (Print) : 2320 – 3765
ISSN (Online): 2278 – 8875

the form of sound through buzzer. The GPS and GSM are interfaced with Arduino controller through transmitter and
receiver methodology. The function of the GPS to locate and the purpose of GSM is to share the location to the
particular mobile number.
The heartbeat sensor and temperature sensor are also interfaced to check the health conditions. By pressing the
emergency button in the walking stick the location, the heartbeat rate, and the temperature are uploaded to the Cloud.
The water sensor also interfaced with Arduino controller so if there is any water in front of water and the water is
interfaced with water sensor in the bottom of the walking stick, there is a buzzer sound to alert the blind person. The
WIFI module are interfaced with the Arduino controller used for the internet connection for locating the location using
GPS. Finally, there is RF receiver and transmitter that are mainly used to find the walking stick which works as
wireless.
The Arduino is coded using Arduino IDE software. Based on the function of the Arduino the program was logically
coded in the Arduino IDE software and checked for the errors. If there is any error it will be displayed in the message
box. After removing the errors, the sketch can be compiled and run successfully. Finally, the sketch is uploaded into the
Arduino controller through USB serial interface.
The pin details are A0 is connected to the LM35’s (temperature sensor) output pin. The output pin from the water
sensor are connected to the A1 Pin (analog pin). The signal pin from the heartbeat sensor are connected to the A2
(analog pin). The GPS transmitter pin are connected to the Arduino’s receiver pin whereas Arduino transmitter pin are
connected to the receiver of the GSM module. In Wi-Fi module the transmitter (Tx) pin is connected to the Digital 9th
pin while the receiver (Rx) pin is connected to the digital 10th pin. For RF transmitter the digital 11th pin is connected to
the 5volt supply. Finally, the buzzer is connected to the 12th pin.
IX. HARDWARE
The hardware consists of water sensor used for the detecting of water in front of the blind person. In this hardware it
consists of two number of buzzers. One is for ultrasonic and water sensor and another one is for RF Receiver and
Transmitter. The ultrasonic sensor is used to find the obstacles in front of the walking stick. The emergency button is
also provided in the stick. If there is any emergency condition occurs for the blind person, the person needs to press the
button once, and the location will be transferred to the guardian mobile phone. The temperature sensor is used to
measure body temperature of the particular blind person. The GPS module is used to locate the blind person and GSM
module is used the share the location to the particular mobile number.

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Fig. 3 Complete Hardware

X. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The output was obtained using Proteus software. In this the temperature level, water level, distance between ultrasonic
sensor and obstacles and heartbeat rate are displayed. The output is displayed using the virtual terminal component in
the Proteous. In this it displays the temperature value in Celsius. The water sensor output is like yes or no. If there is
water the information will be yes otherwise the result is no. In hardware if there is water it will give an alert through
buzzer otherwise there is no alert. The ultrasonic sensor displays the distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the
obstacle. It will show the value in centimetre. The heartbeat sensor displays the heartbeat rate of the blond person for a
constant period of time. This value will be continuously uploaded to the cloud after a constant time interval.

ISSN (Print) : 2320 – 3765
ISSN (Online): 2278 – 8875

Fig. 4 Results Obtained in Proteus

XI. CONCLUSION
The system was simulated by using Proteous software. The program code was written by using Arduino IDE. The
vibration motor only will activate if the distance is less than 50cm from the obstacle. The simulation results are
expected for the ultrasonic sensors, WIFI, Heartbeat sensor, temperature sensor and for integrated GPS and the GSM
modem in one Arduino board. However, this system having the delay while detecting the obstacles between 2 to 4
second. The delay for the GPS to get the location for the stick is around 30 seconds to 0ne minute. In addition to that,
GPS system cannot be used for indoor because of the GPS signal will be too week. Many features are used to develop
our project to help the visually impaired people. The proposed system is economical and efficient in comparison with
the similar system developed so far
REFERENCES
[1] Jismi Johnson, NikhalRajan P, Nivya M Thomas, Rakendh C S, Sijo T Varghese, “Smart Walking Stick for Blind”, International Journal of Engineering
Science Invention Research & Development; Vol. III, Issue IX, pp. 557-560, March 2017
[2] K. Ramarethinam, Mrs K. Thenkumari, [Assist.Prof], P.Kalaiselvan, “Navigation System for Blind People Using GPS & GSM Techniques ,” International Journal
of Advanced Research in Electrical, Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering , Vol. 3, Special Issue 2, pp.398-405, April 2014
[3] Kher Chaitrali S., Dabhade Yogita A., Kadam Snehal K., Dhamdhere Swati D., Deshpande Aarti V., “An Intelligent Walking Stick for the Blind,” International
Journal of Engineering Research and General Science Volume 3, Issue 1, January-February, pp.1057-1062, 2015
[4] Jini.S, Swetha.P, Akshara.P.S, Jishnu S, Karthik Selvan, “Voice Maps for Visually Impaired with Obstacle Detection,” International Journal on Recent and
Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication, Volume: 4 Issue: 3., pp.14-16, March 2016.
[5] ShubhanAdhe, SachinKunthewad, Preetam Shinde, Mrs. V. S. Kulkarni, “Ultrasonic Smart Stick for visually Impaierd People,” IOSR Journal of Electronics and
Communication Engineering
[6] Deepika S, Divya B.E, Harshitha K, Komala B.K, Shruthi P C, “Ultrasonic Blind Walking Stick,” International Journal of Advance Electrical and Electronics
Engineering (IJAEEE)
[7] Osama Bader AL-Barrm, Jeen Vinouth, “3D Ultrasonic Stick for Blind,” International Journal of Latest Trends in Engineering and Technology Vol. 3 Issue 3
January 2014
[8] A.Sangami, M.Kavithra, K.Rubina, S.Sivaprakasam, “Obstacle Detection and Location Finding For Blind People,” International Journal of Innovative Research in
Computer and Communication Engineering, Vol. 3, Special Issue 2, March 2015
[9] Ankit Agarwal, Deepak Kumar, Abhishek Bhardwaj, “Ultrasonic Stick for Blind,” International Journal of Engineering and Computer Science, Volume 4 Issue 4
April 2015, Page No. 11375-11378
[10] Abhishek Bhokare, Amruta Amberkar, Anvesh Gawde, Pratham Kale, Abhijeet Pasi, “Ultrasonic Blind Walking Stick,” International Journal on Recent and
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[11] Javier Sánchez Sierra, Joaquín Selva Roca de Togores, “Designing Mobile Apps for Visually Impaired and Blind Users,” ACHI 2012: The Fifth International
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[12] Mounir Bousbia-Salah, Mohamed Fezari, “An Electronic Travel Aid for Blind People,” IMACS’2005
[13] Shashank Chaurasia and K.V.N. Kavitha, “An Electronic Walking Stick for Blinds,” International Conference on Information Communication & Embedded
Systems (ICICES 2014).

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ISSN (Print) : 2320 – 3765

ISSN (Online): 2278 – 8875

International Journal of Advanced Research in Electrical,

Vol. 7, Issue 3, March 2018