It seems like part of the Arduino projects lately hang around “visually impaired” solutions. This is the research from Alex Tomic form USI in Lugano.

The “Bat Goggles” are a general-purpose set of visual aids to assist those with low or no vision to sense obstacles. While the original project envisioned the sensors being attached as part of a helmet or eyeglasses, after experimentation it was determined that the tool is much more useful if the proximity sensors are movable, allowing them to be placed on the hands, feet, knees, or any other extremity. This allows more flexibility in exploration of environments and extending the effective range of the extremity.

In a free-moving use case, the user holds sensors in each hand. The proximity sensors serve as a virtual extension of the user’s hand, allowing him or her to check for the existence of objects without touching them. This can be useful in situations where it may be desirable to detect delicate objects that could be damaged if touched with excessive force (eg. a vase or lamp).

Check out project and review(pdf).

via [AlexTomicProjectPage]