Thousands of blind Indians using an indigenous, low-cost 'smart' cane to avoid obstacles

By attaching an ultrasonic sensor to the top of the white cane used by the blind to detect obstacles, Indian engineer Rohan Paul has reduced upper body collisions by 90% among 200 people who tested the device. More than 10,000 Indians now use the smart cane, which costs $50. "People have been trying to put sensors on canes for a very long time, but there was still an unmet need for a low-cost, effective, usable device," Paul, now a postdoctoral fellow at MIT, said. More (sub. req.)