SOLE SENSE: Smart Haptic Navigation Footwear for Obstacle Detection and Environmental Hazard Awareness for Visually Impaired Users

Abstract

Getting around safely is tough when you cannot see well. Obstacles appear without warning. Uneven ground shows up suddenly. Wet floors slip underfoot
without notice. Environments shift in ways hard to predict. White canes help, yet they reach only so far. Guide dogs are useful, though they lack long-range sensing.
Neither alert others during emergencies. Distance information stays missing from both tools. Enter SOLE SENSE - a shoe-based aid that responds to surroundings.
It feels ahead using laser-ranging sensors placed at front and sides. Moisture levels register through built-in pressure-sensitive pads. A motion tracker inside notices
sudden drops or stumbles. Position data streams continuously via satellite receiver. If danger strikes, communication chip sends out signals automatically. Each
piece works quietly within regular-looking footwear. The brain of the device is an ESP32 WROOM-32 chip, running everything from detection to alerts at about
20 to 25 times each second - all by itself, no outside help needed. Inside the insole sit three small spinning motors that vibrate when obstacles are near, their strength
and rhythm shifting based on how close something gets. In lab tests, it spotted barriers correctly nearly 97 percent of the time, responded to them in just under fifty
milliseconds, sensed wet surfaces right 97 out of 100 tries, lasting around six hours on a single charge using a standard 2000mAh battery. Because it runs longer,
costs less, uses power wisely, and fits easily into shoes, it works better than many past versions people have made before - helping those who can’t see well move
safely through space with more confidence day after day