Being able-bodied means taking accessibility for granted. We don’t think about how our world makes it difficult for people with disabilities to navigate with ease, so I love seeing assistive tech.
With WeWalk, a new smart cane, Ceylan hopes to help other blind people navigate their environments more easily. The GPS- and voice technology-enabled cane can tell users what’s around them—they’re passing a McDonald’s, they’re at Exit D of the subway station. An ultrasonic sensor detects objects at body or head level and gives a warning vibration.
WeWalk users pair the cane with their smartphones and then use the cane’s touchpad to access features like voice assistant or navigation. Before leaving home, they can plug their destination into Google Maps and get spoken directions as they walk.
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Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
