By installing ultrasonic sensors in a pair of glasses to improve the mobility of the blind, a group of students and professionals from the state of Pernambuco earned a place in the ranking of the 18 best projects at The World Summit Youth Award, supported by the United Nations (UN). The competition, targeted at developers and social entrepreneurs under the age of 30, announced its winners in June 2015, in the city of São Paulo. The Brazilian sensor system, known as Annuit Walk, identifies objects and structures located above the waistline of a visually impaired user, where they can’t be detected with a cane. When the sensors identify an obstacle, they send signals to a bracelet, making it vibrate. The project is coordinated by computer scientist Marcos Penha, founder of WearIt, a research group that brings together students from different universities to develop wearable technologies.
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