October 15 is nationally known as White Cane Day. It is a day to recognize the importance and contribution the white cane has made in the lives of those with visual impairments. It allows individuals to travel independently in the world. There are different sizes and kinds of white canes, some being GPS based, as the WEWALK. In 2019, my sister bought me a WeWALK cane, and it’s features are very impressive. It has a built in navigational system, where a person can have better understanding and ease of their location. It announces landmarks as they are passed. With the accompanying app, a person can put in an address and have the cane help guide them there.
Canes are evolving, along with technological advances, which is good. As of September 2021, there is another intriguing cane release on the horizons. This one’s aim is to help individuals navigate in buildings, which the WeWALK cannot do. This new cane was devised by the teams at National Institute of Health and National Institute of Bio Imaging and Engineering. The cane incorporates the buildings agricultural plan to do spacial mapping, with a camera. It guides a person through high and low obstacles. What also makes this cane innovative is that it can convert from this high tech cane to a traditional white cane, which the WeWALK can do as well. It is a two in one deal. To learn more about this new cane, check out https://www.gpsworld.com/robotic-white-cane-helps-visually-impaired-navigate-indoors/
About the author