Students create vest to help visually impaired

Students from the Polytechnic University in Hebron have created a vest that allows the blind and severely visually impaired to walk without an aide. The Smart Assist System for Blind People (SASB) is hoped to be used in place of traditional aides, such as canes.

Abdel Rahman al-Barmeel, an engineering graduate student who helped design SASB, said, "the system works on directing the people by voice commands and vibration commands."

The system is designed to be simple and easy to use. It provides the user with a sound alert when its battery capacity is low.

Dr. Ramzi al-Qawasmi, the Dean of Engineering Department and Project Supervisor, explained the importance of improving the quality of life for the visually impaired.

"The project constitutes of a vest worn by the visually impaired," al-Qawasmi said, "to help them to integrate into society and communicate with people through directing and coaching them through a path which is free of obstacles."

This vest could do wonders for the visually impaired who struggle with having to daily rely on someone else for help. It allows for people to be more independent and helps them to function more smoothly.

Sponsors are still needed to make the vest available on the market. This is not the first vest on the market, however. Eyeronman was released last year and is the same concept with a different design.

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