Robin Keeps Inventing

You may remember in May of last year we ran a feature focusing on our sighted volunteer Robin and his alter ego as sensory world inventor:
https://www.outlookers.org.uk/seeking-solutions/

Well you will be pleased to hear that his approach in 2023 is no different as he attended our Dewsbury group recently with yet another invention under his belt. After speaking with one of our members who had to swap a regular long cane for a supportive walking stick and then struggling more with obstacle awareness Robin said about finding yet another solution to a fairly common problem in the visual impairment world.
Once again using electronics bought cheaply online and equipment rummaged for in charity shops, Robin has proved that cost effectiveness and innovation can go hand-in-hand. His latest prototype is a supportive walking stick fitted with an audio proximity sensor
The sensor itself is a small black box fitted midway up the stick and aims to alert workers of forthcoming obstacles within a number of feet and will also indicate individual steps for anyone climbing stairwells.
The sensor is fitted with a USB for easy charging, and comes with volume control for the audio beeps. Whilst Robin himself admits this prototype is still in the early stages of design the concept definitely has the potential to be rolled out commercially as a stand alone product that could be fitted retrospectively to any white walking stick.

Staff, volunteers and members alike were all enthusiastic to try out the stick and sensor, videos of which can be found on our YouTube channel:
Robins prototypes https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzEu4i-mhcZ9Q2DtU2hWmGijkRFyoyhS6