Vision Mate:Smart Shoe for Blind Person with Real Time Navigation and Safety Monitoring

Abstract

Visually impaired individuals face significant challenges in navigating public and private spaces due to limited environmental awareness and the risk of unexpected obstacles. Traditional mobility tools like canes or guide dogs provide assistance but remain limited in range, precision and multi-directional awareness. This paper introduces Vision Mate, a smart wearable shoe that combines IoT, embedded systems, and sensor technology to deliver a comprehensive navigation aid. The system integrates Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors, an ESP32 microcontroller, vibration feedback and Bluetooth-based smartphone connectivity to achieve real-time obstacle detection, voice navigation, live tracking and emergency alerts. The project focuses on developing a low-cost, portable and power-efficient assistive solution tailored for visually impaired users. Extensive testing in real-world conditions demonstrates promising results in accuracy, responsiveness and user safety enhancement.