Radar Glasses Use TOF Sensor and Vibrating Motor for Blind Navigation

Engineer “tpsully” became curious about navigating his surroundings while blind after his friend lost sight in his right eye and meeting others who have blindness. While there are Braille messages on some buildings, seeing-eye dogs, walking canes, and even audible alerts at crosswalks, he wondered what he could build to further help the blind navigate, and came up with what he calls Radar Glasses.

Actually, tpsully expanded on an earlier design for a device he created for his friend, but uses most of the same technology — including an ST VL53L1X TOF (Time of Flight) sensor and an Adafruit Vibration Mini Motor Disk. The glasses use the technology to create different levels of vibration depending on the distance of the objects — the closer a person gets, the more the motor vibrates, allowing the wearer to navigate around them.

The Radar Glasses design features 3D-printed frames with an Adafruit Perma-Proto breadboard cut and refined to fit the frame outline and attachment points. The engineer then placed and wired the sensor, Trinket M0 microcontroller, and other components (resistors, tactile switch button, etc.) along with a 3.7V/150mAh LiPo battery for power.

tpsully says his glasses function well for being a prototype but adds that you may want to put some rubber or other slip-resistant material on the notch that touches the bridge, as looking down has a tendency to raise the glasses of the nose, lessening the vibration that can be felt.

For those wanting to replicate this pair of Radar Glasses, head over to the project page for all the necessary files, BOM, and a complete build walkthrough.