Virtual Eye - The virtual eye is a low cost open source device engineered for the visually impaired to detect obstacles and to allow for their seamless movement across different terrain.

Who is this project meant for?

Close your eyes and try to walk around an unfamiliar place around your home. How does it feel? Such is the reality for millions today. It is really a sad truth to hear that India is now home to the world's largest number of blind people. Of the 37 million people across the globe who are blind, over 15 million are from India. One out of every three blind people in the world lives in India - an estimated 15 million blind people live in India. Every year, 3 million people develop cataracts in their eyes in India. There are 2 million blind children in India. Only 5% of them receive any education. Out of these 15 million, there are a lot many working in cities and it is a common sight in our cities to see blind people walking with sticks. In spite of using these sticks, the blind people are merely being guided by tapping the sticks and may also require human support. The virtual eye in specific would be designed to meet the needs of partially or fully blind individuals who are limited by their disability to commute from one place to another.

What is unique about our project and what is our innovation?

•Uniqueness lies in the low cost. When compared to other technology available in the market, our device would be more compact and less expensive. Moreover, mass manufacturing of our product is easy and requires low investment. •All our designs are open source and any one can use it making our product publicly modifiable and implementable. •Our innovation would be making the device last for a longer time with the help of a solar-powered operating circuit and requisite backup storage power. •All our project costs would be periodically made viewable to the public to ensure transparency and trust for our supporters and well-wishers.

Indicative budgets:

1)RS. 20000 for the equipment and lab setup 2)RS. 20000 for the proof-of-concept testing, debugging and support for prototype conversion 3)Rs. 5000 for the transport charges 4)Rs. 5000 for outreach initiatives