Yimei(Emair) Zhu  

Cat's whiskers warning

- 2022
- Wearable Devices
 

As an artist researching the disability community, my recent focus has been on the low vision community. Throughout my research, I have been adamant about accepting the challenges this community faces and also finding ways in which art can bring help and hope to this community. With this goal in mind, I developed a wearable device that mimics the whiskers of a cat - distance tested and sensed - to help people with low vision walk more safely at night.

 

The device works by using a small pressure soft sensor attached to a module, which is then connected to a whisker-like protrusion. When the person wearing the device comes into contact with an object or obstacle, the sensor detects a change in pressure and sends a signal to an alarm system that sounds an alert. The device is worn with flexibility and autonomous selectivity, and can be worn anywhere on the body by the wearer as needed, and its high visibility setting also attempts to improve safety and mobility for people with low vision.

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