{"id":10101,"date":"2025-05-07T23:05:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T02:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solvefortomorrowlatam.com\/pratica\/estudantes-criam-bengala-inteligente-para-pessoas-com-deficiencia-visual\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T16:02:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T19:02:07","slug":"estudantes-criam-bengala-inteligente-para-pessoas-com-deficiencia-visual","status":"publish","type":"pratica","link":"https:\/\/solvefortomorrowlatam.com\/en\/case\/estudantes-criam-bengala-inteligente-para-pessoas-com-deficiencia-visual\/","title":{"rendered":"Students create smart stick for people with visual impairments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Faced with the daily challenges people with visual impairments encounter, a group of Peruvian students decided to use their creativity and knowledge to promote inclusion for people with disabilities. The team created \u201cPusaqkuna\u201d, a smart stick equipped with sensors, vibration, and GPS, which enhances autonomy and safety in urban mobility. The initiative was a finalist in Solve for Tomorrow Peru<\/a> 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project was developed by three 16-year-old students in the fifth and final year of secondary education. The idea emerged during a robotics class. Surrounded by daily reality \u2014 their school is located next to two hospitals \u2014 the students often saw people with visual impairments heading to medical appointments and struggling to navigate independently. \u201cIn Peru, urban design is generally not friendly to people with disabilities \u2014 whether visual, physical, auditory, or others. The students noticed this and began thinking about how robotics could provide a solution,\u201d says Kervin Calle, art teacher and the group\u2019s mediator<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the obstacles observed were poor signage, environmental noise, and a general lack of social awareness. Through a brainstorming<\/a> session, they decided to create a device to help users follow a safe path. The name \u201cPusaqkuna\u201d was chosen because it means \u201cthe good guide\u201d in quechua<\/em>, a language spoken in the central Andes before the Inca Empire, and still the most spoken native language in South America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before Solve for Tomorrow, the team had already participated in a national competition, where they performed well and were motivated to continue. \u201cAfter that first experience, the main improvements were made to the prototype<\/a>\u2019s ergonomics and weight. It was too uncomfortable,\u201d explains the teacher. At that stage, \u201cPusaqkuna\u201d was a stick made of heavy metal that emitted sound alerts to signal obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n Eureka moment! <\/h5>\n

One major change introduced in \u201cPusaqkuna\u201d during Solve for Tomorrow, was the addition of sensors with vibration feedback, in addition to the sound alerts. This came after they discovered that some people with visual impairments also have mild hearing loss. \u201cThe first prototype used different sounds through a buzzer to indicate obstacles on the left or right, but for those with hearing loss, it was difficult,\u201d the teacher explains. They weren\u2019t sure how to improve the <\/span>user experience<\/span><\/a> until one of the students, while playing video games, noticed the controller\u2019s vibration system and thought it could be an effective alert mechanism.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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I was amazed by robotics and how students begin assembling parts and programming to bring solutions to society, says Calle.
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Even though Calle is not a Robotics or Mechatronics teacher, the students already had some knowledge in those areas, and other teachers supported them throughout each stage. This way, they were able to refine the final prototype. Now, when an obstacle is detected, the sensor triggers vibration in the corresponding part of the stick. For example, if there is something ahead, the front part of the stick vibrates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team also added LED lights to make users visible at night to other pedestrians and vehicles, increasing safety. A buzzer provides a second layer of sound alert, and their goal is to implement a GPS module that, in the future, could allow users to report dangerous obstacles \u2014 similar to navigation apps. Part of the materials was funded by the school, and the rest was covered by the students themselves. The final cost of the prototype with 3D printing was 120 soles (about 32 USD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n