Karimganj boy studying in Class IX makes smart shoe to help the blind

A young boy from Karimganj has designed a smart shoe for the blind. Ankurit Karmakar, who is a student of Class 9 in Rowland’s Memorial High School, has designed this smart shoe which can make a huge difference. Starting from being cost-efficient, this shoe also uses very simple technology. With accuracy up to 5 metres, Ankurit is all set to create a real change.

Ankurit says, “This shoe can replace bamboo canes and help a blind from colliding or tripping over something. This device is placed over one shoe and the other shoe is free. The sensors placed over it can detect any object in front of it, up to 5 metres. If there’s an obstacle on the way, the sensor will detect it and the buzzer will give an alert. The other foot can be used to check the obstacles or even a cane can be used, whatever the person finds comfortable.”

The technology used here is simple and the circuit was designed by Ankurit himself. Watching YouTube tutorials, he has successfully built this sensor which uses ultrasonic technology. Explaining the technical details of the smart shoe, Ankurit said, “I’ve only used two devices here, two ultrasonic sensors are placed in front of it, which detects any object in front of it. It sends a signal to the Arduino UNO board, which in turn buzzes the buzzer. A blind person can hear and the buzzing sound will aware him of obstacles. This I believe, can remove bamboo canes or helping sticks. The whole system is battery powered which is rechargeable.”

Ankurit who has designed the entire thing just by using his father’s smartphone says that, “the technology can be improved using a computer and the range can also be tweaked”. This very cost-efficient gadget has cost him around two thousand rupees only, excluding the price of the shoe. If built in bulk, Ankurit says, the cost can be reduced. Ankurit is a resident of Subhash Nagar, Karimganj and he is an innovator who is simultaneously designing other gadgets to make our lives efficient.