New Delhi, India, Sept 28: Shantanu Gangwar, a 17-year-old aspiring engineer from RK Puram, has designed a ‘Smart Stick’ for blind people. The smart walking stick is fitted with infrared sensors that can detect the obstacles on a person’s path and alert him.

The innovation has helped him bag the prestigious ‘Inventions’ award from Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

A student of Delhi Public School-RK Puram, Shantanu is now busy with his Class XII studies, but says he hopes to produce his innovation on a commercial scale once he has more time on his hands. Shantanu was awarded the CSIR Diamond Jubilee Invention Award for School Children 2010, along with another Class XII student, Ankit Kumar Mittal from Barnala in Punjab, on September 26.

The infrared sensors in the walking stick can detect objects within one-foot range. On detecting an obstacle, the sensor sends signals to a motor connected to it, which in turn vibrates, alerting the user.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com