Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
15 SafeStep: Smart White Cane Attachment for Audio + Haptic Navigation and Emergency Alerts
 Abdulrahman Almana
Arsalan Ahmad
Eraad Ahmed
# TEAM: Abdulrahman Almana (aalmana2), Arsalan Ahmed (aahma22), Eraad Ahmed (eahme2)

# PROBLEM
White canes provide reliable obstacle detection, but they do not give route-level navigation to help a user reach a destination efficiently. This can make it harder for blind or low-vision users to travel independently in unfamiliar areas. In addition, audio-only directions are not always accessible for users who are deaf or hard of hearing, and if a user falls there is often no automatic way to notify others quickly, which can delay assistance.
# SOLUTION OVERVIEW
We propose a modular smart attachment that mounts onto a standard white cane to improve navigation and safety without replacing the cane’s core purpose. The attachment will connect via Bluetooth to a user’s phone and headphones to support clear spoken directions, and it will also provide vibration-based cues for users who need non-audio feedback. The attachment will include fall detection and a basic emergency alert workflow that sends an alert to a pre-set emergency contact with the user’s last known location.
# SOLUTION COMPONENTS
**SUBSYSTEM 1, CONNECTIVITY + CONTROL**

Handles Bluetooth pairing, basic user controls, and system logic.

Planned Components:

1-ESP32 (Bluetooth Low Energy) microcontroller, ESP32-WROOM-32

2-Power switch + SOS button + cancel button

3-LiPo battery + USB-C charging module

**SUBSYSTEM 2, NAVIGATION OUTPUT (AUDIO + HAPTICS)**

Supports spoken directions through headphones and vibration cues for users who need non-audio feedback.

Planned Components:

1-Bluetooth connection to smartphone (using standard maps app audio)

2-Vibration motor (coin vibration motor, 3V) + motor driver (DRV8833)

3-Optional buzzer for confirmations

**SUBSYSTEM 3, LOCAL SENSING (WHEN MAPS NOT AVAILABLE)**

Provides short-range obstacle warnings and basic direction/heading feedback when GPS/maps are unreliable.

Planned Components:

1-Long-range distance sensor (Benewake TFmini-S LiDAR) for obstacle proximity alerts

2-IMU (MPU-9250) for motion/heading estimation

**SUBSYSTEM 4, FALL DETECTION + EMERGENCY ALERTING**

Detects falls and triggers an emergency workflow through the phone without a custom app.

Planned Components:

1-IMU-based fall detection using MPU-9250 data

2-BLE trigger to phone using standard phone shortcut automation

3-Phone sends SMS/call to pre-set emergency contact with last known GPS location

# CRITERION FOR SUCCESS

1-The attachment pairs to a smartphone and maintains a Bluetooth connection within 10 meters indoors.

2-The vibration system supports at least four distinct cues (left, right, straight, arrival).

3-The distance sensor detects obstacles within 20 cm to 12 m and triggers a warning vibration within 1 second.

4-Fall detection triggers within 5 seconds of a staged fall-like event and provides a cancel window (ex: 10 seconds).

5-When a fall is confirmed or SOS is pressed, the phone successfully notifies a designated contact and shares location (through phone shortcut automation).

6-The battery supports at least 1 hour of continuous operation.

# ALTERNATIVES

1-Smartphone-only navigation: Works for audio, but does not provide haptics for deaf/hard-of-hearing users and is not cane-integrated.

2-Smartwatch fall detection: Helps with emergencies but does not guide navigation through the cane.

3-Dedicated smart cane products: Often expensive and replace the cane instead of adding a modular attachment.

4-Wearable navigation (smart glasses): Higher cost and complexity.

Smart Frisbee

Ryan Moser, Blake Yerkes, James Younce

Smart Frisbee

Featured Project

The idea of this project would be to improve upon the 395 project ‘Smart Frisbee’ done by a group that included James Younce. The improvements would be to create a wristband with low power / short range RF capabilities that would be able to transmit a user ID to the frisbee, allowing the frisbee to know what player is holding it. Furthermore, the PCB from the 395 course would be used as a point of reference, but significantly redesigned in order to introduce the transceiver, a high accuracy GPS module, and any other parts that could be modified to decrease power consumption. The frisbee’s current sensors are a GPS module, and an MPU 6050, which houses an accelerometer and gyroscope.

The software of the system on the frisbee would be redesigned and optimized to record various statistics as well as improve gameplay tracking features for teams and individual players. These statistics could be player specific events such as the number of throws, number of catches, longest throw, fastest throw, most goals, etc.

The new hardware would improve the frisbee’s ability to properly moderate gameplay and improve “housekeeping”, such as ensuring that an interception by the other team in the end zone would not be counted as a score. Further improvements would be seen on the software side, as the frisbee in it’s current iteration will score as long as the frisbee was thrown over the endzone, and the only way to eliminate false goals is to press a button within a 10 second window after the goal.