The GuideVest

Hi, My name is Oladoyin Agbaje and I created the GuideVest. A device designed to alert the user when an obstacle is near.

As of early 2026, an estimated 1.2 to 1.5 million people in Canada have vision loss or blindness, and this is projected to rise to 2 million by 2050. According to the Canadian council of the blind, over 1,900 deaths occurred to people with vision loss or blindness in 2019. That is one too many deaths that could be avoided.

The GuideVest is an all in one system that provides real-time audible alerts, notifying the wearer that they are approaching an obstacle. It uses a proximity sensor, speakers and a microcontroller for computation.

This device could greatly limit the number of accidents that occur to people with vision loss or blindness.The device was built with affordable yet reliable components supporting lengthy and comfortable daily use. Thank you and see you at the fair!

Everyone is different. The gift of vision isn’t something that everyone has, and because of this, people who are visually impaired or blind might find moving around in their day to day lives difficult. I want to help make their lives easier and less of a struggle.

As of early 2026, an estimated 1.2 to 1.5 million people in Canada have vision loss or blindness and this number is slowly rising. According to a 2003 article by the World Health Organization (WHO) , there are about 45 million people worldwide who are blind. In 2019, almost 2,000 deaths occurred to people who have this visual condition. This project could greatly reduce the risk of accidents occurring to people who are blind or have vision loss.

I wanted to create something that could have a positive impact on the world. So, I thought about what group of people I could impact in a way that would have a lasting influence? After thinking for a while, and talking to family members, the idea of the Guidevest was born sometime in late September 2025.

This project was inspired by something I saw while coming back from school. I witnessed a blind person bumping into things, even while using a cane. The quality of life of blind people and their interaction with the environment can be greatly improved by reducing their worries and struggles as they go about their daily activities.

Process and Procedure

I researched on topics such as,  the number of people who are visually impaired or blind, and what technology exists that helps people with impaired vision. I also researched the tools and materials required for this project. I spent time learning on the basics of the programming language required to program the GuideVest and also on setting up an Arduino microcontroller

I became familiar with all the components and what they did, and then I created a blueprint using basic shapes, as well as an image of the wiring for the prototype. Then, using the blueprint and wiring image, I started to put all the pieces together like a puzzle. I wired up the system as outlined in the blueprint and loaded the microcontroller with the software program written in a modified version of the C++ programming language.

All the tests were carried out using a homemade obstacle, which was mostly a wall, or a piece of cardboard, as well as the GuideVest and my laptop. I simulated obstacles in the real world and how close or far they could be to the GuideVest in order to produce the associated sound.

In the design stage, The GuideVest used a solderless breadboard to place all the components. The breadboard allowed the components to be connected with ease until the final product was ready to be assembled.

Materials Used

All the materials work together to play specific alerts when the wearer is near an obstacle.

The materials used are:

HC-SR04 Proximity Sensor

8-ohm Speaker

Arduino Uno Board

Jumper Cables

Solderless Breadboard

External Power Source (9 Volts Batteries, Mobile Power Bank)

The GuideVest uses a proximity sensor to detect the distance from an obstacle that may be in the wearer’s path. The proximity sensor first sends out an ultrasonic sound wave which hits an obstacle, bounces off said obstacle and comes back to the proximity sensor's receiver. The proximity sensor uses the information it got from the time it takes the ultrasonic sound round trip travel time, to calculate the distance from the obstacle and send it to the microcontroller.

When the wearer of the GuideVest moves around, it is expected that different alert sounds are played at different distances to any obstacle.

There are three different alerts:

1. The CalmNote Alert: If the obstacle is greater than 3 meters away from the wearer, then the calmNote alert which is a low and slow set of beeps, is played. This lets the user know that they are not likely to come in contact with an obstacle immediately.

2. The ReadyNote Alert: If the obstacle is between 2 and 3 metres away, then the readyNote alert is played at an average speed. This lets the wearer know that there is an obstacle of mid-range distance from their position, and that they should prepare for contact.

3. The PanicNote Alert: If an obstacle is a metre or less away from the wearer, then the panicNote alert is played, which is a fast and high-pitched set of beeps notifying the wearer that an obstacle is in close proximity.

Controlled Measurement Testing

A controlled measurement test was done to see if the GuideVest would play the desired alert at an expected distance from an obstacle.  A homemade obstacle was moved closer and farther from the GuideVest to record the alerts played. The alert played and the alert expected to be played were both recorded.  The results came out with approximately 90% of accuracy.

Angle of Approach Testing

The detection of an obstacle was tested at different angles for distances that correspond with the three alerts. The testing was done at 0–50-degree angles, each time increasing by 10 degrees.

The obstacles were detected with the expected results at angles 0-30 degrees for the calmNote, 0-40 degrees for readyNote and 0-40 degrees for panicNote alert states.

However, when the device was at a distance where it would normally play the panicNote alert, while tilted at a 50° angle, the measured distance and the distance reported by the sensor had a deviation of about 0.86metres. This caused the device to play the readyNote, instead of the panicNote.

The expected alert was played at a 50-degree tilt for the calmNote and readyNote, despite the deviation between the measured distance and the distance reported by the sensor.

Reaction Time Testing

The GuideVest was stationary, and a homemade obstacle was moved at different distances from the device to see how long it took for it to change from one alert to the other. Some switches took longer than others did, but not in a critical way.

Test Results

A controlled measurement test proved that the GuideVest detects the distance of obstacles accurately when they are between less than 1 metre and 4 metres, because the range of operations for the sensors used are within the same values. Therefore, obstacles beyond 4 metres are not detected.

An angle of approach test showed that obstacle distances were detected accurately at  0-30° (degree) angles when the obstacle was far enough to play the calmNote alert. As for the readyNote and panicNote alerts, the test showed that obstacle distances were detected accurately at  0-40° (degree) angles.

Conclusion

The GuideVest was created with one goal in mind, to create a device that can assist visually impaired people. This was successfully achieved and based on the review, analysis and observations, I can conclusively say that a visually impaired person can benefit from this device by being alerted on time when an obstacle of a certain distance is in their path. The GuideVest is also an affordable and dependable assistive device. This project can also help children who have vision loss or blind to have fun without needing as much protection and supervision.

The following improvements are intended for  the GuideVest upgrade:

The speaker is currently at a fixed volume. The volume will be made adjustable.

The speaker would be connected to headphones, allowing the user to listen to the device's alerts more clearly and limit interference from ambient noise.

The alert would be updated to play audible spoken messages in selected languages preferable to the wearer.

Turn by turn navigation from current place to destination is intended for improved mobility.

I would like to thank Ms. Robyn Matthews, who is my science teacher. She helped me with the early stages of my project as well as getting

ready for the science fair.

Dr. Doug Smith, for providing invaluable feedback and giving me a completely new perspective on what and how to test.

Dr. Olatunji Anthony Akerele, for listening to my presentation and giving feedback on it.

Heidi Kavanagh and Rebeccah Sandrelli, for coordinating, and constant reminders making sure that I keep to time.

My parents, for providing the funds for my project materials, teaching me to code and many nights proof reading my entire project submission.

Articles

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/feb-2-2019-rocking-good-sleep-music-and-body-language-the-first-feathers-for-flight-and-more-1.5000349/does-the-speed-of-sound-change-with-temperature-1.5000360

https://randomnerdtutorials.com/complete-guide-for-ultrasonic-sensor-hc-sr04/

https://protosupplies.com/guide-to-solderless-breadboards/

https://www.who.int/news/item/09-10-2003-up-to-45-million-blind-people-globally---and-growing

Bourne R, et al. Trends in prevalence of blindness and distance and near vision impairment over 30 years: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet Glob Health. 2020. Accessed via the IAPB Vision Atlas: visionatlas.iapb.org.

Images

https://visionatlas.iapb.org/global-data/