Engineering a Cane Assistant Prototype

Asher Abraham, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Electrical Engineering and minor in Mathematics

The moment I decided to choose electrical engineering as my major, I knew that I wanted to use the skills I would cultivate both in school and in internships to help improve upon the struggles that are faced by the general populace. One such struggle I’ve seen countless times when I’ve visited my grandfather is his difficulty walking around his house as he maneuvers around obstacles such as dog toys, boxes, and furniture. After seeing firsthand these struggles, I knew immediately that when my senior capstone came around, I would plan to make a project that would help my grandfather and the elderly alleviate the struggles they may face colliding with objects, as well as monitor their health.

This project began in the summer of my senior year, during my Embedded Systems class, which is where I completed the first subsystem. The first subsystem comprised an ultrasonic sensor that would measure the distance from the base of a cane which would then alert the user through vibration motors for a tactile response, as well as through different frequencies of buzzing noises to alert the user through audio. This allowed the user to have proper awareness of any objects or structures that they could possibly collide with.

After the summer class ended and I began my senior capstone project, I paired with my good friend Jeremy, and with our collective ideas, we improved upon the summer project by implementing two new subsystems. One of these subsystems would add a pulse sensor to the handle of the cane to record the user’s BPM and alert a pre-determined contact if their BPM had risen to an unsafe level. The second subsystem was the LED lights component, which would allow the user to use the Smart Cane at night by illuminating the path ahead.

We thought of adding this pulse sensor subsystem because elderly individuals are more prone to hypertension and instances of an increased heart rate that is usually caused by everyday stress as per WHO. This subsystem would ensure that at the exact moment that their heart rate becomes elevated, a loved one or caretaker would be aware of that through the use of a Bluetooth module that would communicate through the app, Ardutooth.

Throughout the project’s research, creation, and completion my partner and I overcame many struggles such as bugged code, faulty components, as well as many changes needed to bring this project to fruition. After completing this capstone, I learned firsthand after many ideas being bounced off by my partner and I, that we wouldn’t be solving the issues perfectly with our project because we were limited to a one-year timeline. Throughout the process, I was under the strong conviction that by the end of the project, we would be able to fully solve the issue with a remedy unlike any other to assist the elderly with unplanned collisions and ensure that they are being properly monitored for their well-being. This was of course a fallacy that I had believed because of the project’s research and how we were making strides with bringing the project to reality.

If I were to work on this project in the future with a longer timeline allowed for me, there are many changes I would implement on the project to make it as effective as possible. I would use a WIFI component for the Smart Cane which would be tied to an app on both Apple and Android’s app stores. Unlike the Bluetooth component that I have now, which is only available on the Android app store. Using the WIFI component, it would allow for contacts from anywhere in the world with WIFI or cellular data to be aware of there elderly loved one in medical need. Additionally, I would love to design my own version of the Smart Cane from scratch through the use of a 3D printer to fit every component perfectly as well as ensure that it’s perfectly sealed from the outside environment. This would ensure that rain, sleet, snow, and even dry conditions wouldn’t affect the circuity of the cane. Since our project is a prototype we were not able to design the sealed container due to the timeline of the capstone but this would be very useful when using the Smart Cane outside of a confined building.

This project holds a very special place to me, and if I ever had the opportunity in the future to work on and expand the project I would love to have the first user be my grandfather.