Empowering Blind People Mobility: a Millimeter-Wave Radar Cane

In this paper, a millimeter-wave radar cane for enhancing the mobility of visually impaired and blind people is presented. The system exploits a compact 122 GHz radar system that can be easily integrated on the stick. The millimeter-wave radar cane is able to detect obstacles in the area scanned by the user, providing a feedback about their distance. Moreover, it is capable of discerning between human and non-human obstacles by detecting their breathing vital sign. This is not a straightforward task due to the concurrent little chest displacement to be measured and the movements of both the user and the human target. The operating principle and the feasibility of the proposed solution are shown by simulating the entire scenario, whereas the effectiveness of the system is demonstrated by employing a 122 GHz radar board.