How Khalifa Aminu Developed Sensory Glasses For The Visually Impaired
By Ajiboye Favour · · Technology
Long before Khalifa Aminu began building technology for visually impaired people, he was a teenager who liked to take things apart. Growing up in Kano, he…
Long before Khalifa Aminu began building technology for visually impaired people, he was a teenager who liked to take things apart.
Growing up in Kano, he spent time fixing electronics and household items, often working with whatever materials were available to him. These include lamps, sockets, radios and other household items. He was particularly interested in using technology to solve problems around him. These were opportunities to understand how things worked and how they could be made to function again. His interest in electronics began early, and over time, repairing things around him gave him the confidence to start building his own
inventions.
As Khalifa continued experimenting with technology, he became interested in solving problems he could see around him. He grew up in an area of Kano with many visually impaired people and became familiar with some of the difficulties they faced, especially when moving through the surroundings. He also knew someone who was blind and wanted to find a way to make movement easier for him.
A traditional walking aid could help identify obstacles, but there were situations where some obstacles could be difficult to detect in time. Hence, the question, could technology provide an alternative to helping someone become more aware of what was in front of them?
Seeing a Problem and Building a Solution
This device was designed to detect physical obstacles in front of the wearer and alert them when something is nearby. The prototype uses ultrasonic and infrared sensors to detect objects, triggering an audio alert when an obstacle comes within range. The intention was not to replace existing mobility aids, but to create another tool that could help visually impaired people become
more aware of what is around them.
Testing The idea in The Real World
The first version of the glasses was eventually tested by a visually impaired man in his hometown. The test showed that the basic idea could work, but it also revealed that there was more to developing the device than getting the sensors to function. The wearer suggested several changes that could make them more practical, including a wireless switch, black lenses and smaller components. For Khalifa, this feedback offered a different perspective, showing him that the people using the glasses could point out improvements that might not be obvious while building the prototype. It also helped him see that building assistive technology was only a part of the process.
The early version had its limitations. The glasses used a beeping sound to alert the wearer, which meant the warning could tell them that something was nearby but could not provide much more information. He has since looked at ways to improve this, including replacing the beeping sound with voice prompts and making the device work better in low-light and night time conditions. There is also the challenge of moving from a prototype assembled with available materials to something that can be produced on a larger scale. Khalifa has said that a lack of materials and resources remains one of the challenges to further developing the glasses. Those challenges, however, became an important part of improving his idea.
As Khalifa continued to develop his work, he received support through educational sponsorships, technical tools and access to a workspace.
Taking The Idea Further
The sensory glasses are still being developed, but the project has moved beyond an idea into a working prototype that has been tested by a potential user. For Khalifa, the journey has gone from fixing electronics as a young boy to building technology aimed at solving a problem in his own community and building something people can actually use.
Image Source: Anadolu Agency