Foldable Talking Stick for the Visually Impaired | Fusion - WeRIndia

Foldable talking stick is designed by Wazeer Hayath from Karnataka for the visually impaired. The stick has an audio alarm to alert the visually challenged people if there is water or a pit ahead by a pre-recorded voice system. It can even alert the public to move away. The stick has provision for light to alert the public about the existence of visually impaired people as well.

The device has been tested on 15 visually challenged people with the help of Blind People’s Association in Ahmedabad. The users very much appreciated the stick as it consists of voice alert facility but recommended it would be better if the alarm system has vibration mode.

Hailed from a poor family, Hayath had to discontinue his studies and support his family by working. Initially he worked as a bore-well mechanic but later shifted to electronic repair and opened a shop. Hayath designed the stick after he watched a blind fall into a pothole on the road. He made this in three variants: A talking folding stick, a sensor-based folding automatic stick, and double-sensor based talking folding stick. All these sticks have a pre-recorded voice system to alert the users about the barriers ahead, and run on chargeable batteries. Thus they alert the users and lowers the risks of accidents for visually challenged people.

Hayath was supported by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) after the stick has been filed in innovations. He was aided under the Micro Venture Innovation Fund Scheme of NIF to sell the sticks commercially. It is sold at a price of Rs. 900 to Rs. 2400 depending on the features for all the three variants.  Hayath sold more than 1000 units in all variants in India and across the world.