Indian student invents smart stick for blind

A 17-year-old high school student in the Indian capital has invented a smart stick for blind which can give early warning of an obstacle, reported Indo-Asian News Service Tuesday. Shantanu Gangwar invented the cheap and easy-to-use stick, which will cost around 800 rupees (16 U.S. dollars), and has brought him the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Diamond Jubilee Invention Award for School Children 2010. The award was created by the ministry of science and technology to enhance creativity among children. "I used to feel bad seeing visually-impaired students in my school bump into walls and furniture. I thought of developing something that warns them about obstacles," Shantanu was quoted as saying. He proposed the idea to his electronics teacher who was all for it and it took him six months to develop the stick. "It has infra-red sensors. The sensors are connected to a motor. When infra-red rays are reflected, the stick starts vibrating, giving warning about obstacles ahead," he said. The equipment can be fitted on conventional stick. "It can detect an obstacle within one feet. Now I plan to increase the range to two to three meters. I have been approached by some companies to market the invention," he said.