Assistive Mobile Device for Visual Impaired Individuals – A Review (Published)
Millions of people worldwide are affected by visual impairment, a persistent global challenge that significantly hinders mobility, independence, and quality of life. Conventional mobility aids, such as white canes, provide only minimal support for environmental awareness and navigation. Moreover, many existing intelligent assistive technologies are expensive, reliant on energy, and inaccessible to individuals in low- and middle-income countries. By integrating intelligent sensing with sustainable energy technologies, this study aims to develop a dual-powered smart assistive mobile device for visually impaired individuals, with the objective of improving safe navigation, autonomous mobility, and environmental awareness. To identify obstacles and provide navigation assistance, the proposed system integrates embedded systems, ultrasonic sensors, water sensors, day-night sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) components, and real-time feedback mechanisms. To ensure continuous operation and improved energy stability, especially in regions with unreliable power grids, the device features a dual-power architecture that combines solar energy with a rechargeable battery.
Keywords: mobility independence, navigation, safe, visual impairment