Seeing-Eye Robot Assists Visually Impaired, No Clean-Up Required

By Cori Beth Russell, National Science Foundation   |   August 22, 2014 01:44pm ET

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The co-robotic cane has a rolling tip that points the cane to the desired direction of travel. It is designed to detect the user’s intent as well as 3-D objects and to build a working map for the user. Credit: Dr. Cang Ye, University of Arkansas at Little Rock View full size image

The current prototype of the robot cane.

Credit: Dr. Cang Ye, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

View full size image

This Research in Action article was provided to Live Science in partnership with the National Science Foundation.
Two familiar items not usually paired: a robot and a cane. At the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Cang Ye and his engineering lab team have prototyped a robotic walking stick for the blind. This robot-cane combines the basic physics of a walking stick and the technological efficiencies of a computer system.
Currently, people with visual impairments navigate using aluminum or plastic sticks with rubber ends; these tools are known as white canes or whitesticks. The robot cane is an updated version that facilitates communication between the environment, the cane and the user. The cane can both detect the user’s immediate terrain and store localized geographical information