High school students invent digital walking device for visually impaired

PANAMA CITY — Two local high school students have taken the classic white cane to the next level and created an innovative prototype for the visually impaired.

Henry Jiang and Walker Verenakis, seniors at North Bay Haven Charter Academy, collaborated to create a digital ultrasound walking aid for the visually impaired and blind people. The two spent time together nearly every day last summer to bring their idea to life.

“The idea just came to us,” Verenakis said. “We didn’t have this grand plan when we first started, we just took it a day at a time and everything eventually came together. We just threw it together with our imagination and it was really fun.”

With the two working together on their own time, it took about two months to complete the contraption, Verenakis said. The device includes five ultrasonic sensor rays that point in different directions to sense objects nearby or far away. The user is alerted through sensors and motors that detect objects and send strong or weak vibrations to the hand depending on the object’s proximity.

However, their idea didn’t sprout out of nowhere. Verenakis said his father, who is visually impaired, was a big influence on their ideas, which made him want to create something that might help others in the future.

“My dad gave a lot of practical applications for it and his input helped us a lot,” Verenakis said. “We initially thought about creating glasses or gloves with the same features, but it was easier said than done. Even though we had a lot of limitations with this prototype, overall we’ve been able to get everything for it to come together.”

Jiang said plans are in the works to pursue a business concept with their device.

“This design is patent-pending right now, and we don’t think there’s anything exactly like this model that uses sensors to convert signals into something you can feel,” Jiang said. “We know we could definitely start a business out of this if we spent more time on it and worked on making it aesthetically pleasing.”

Verenakis added that the next steps are to push their idea forward with better resources.

“This is just the beginning of conceptualizing this idea,” he said. “We really want to bring this to life, so we definitely need the necessary resources like professional help and funding for the next steps for this type of project.”

They both agreed that they make a great team and would likely work together on more projects in the future. In the meantime, the friends will continue to perfect the prototype.

AMY BETH BENNETT/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL Blind pedestrians cross a Fort Lauderdale street at a 2019 White Cane Safety Day walk. Two Florida high school students have updated the white cane to add digital improvements.