This Visually-Impaired Woman Has Designed A Buggy That Lets Blind Parents Know If There Are Obstacles Ahead

A visually-impaired woman has designed a buggy that will make parents who have sight problems aware of obstacles in their path through technology normally used in self-driving cars.

Ramona Williams, 34, from Fulham, London, has had her design turned into a physical buggy by students at Imperial College, London. Williams has a series of eye conditions including congenital toxoplasmosis, which has impaired her vision since birth. She says she wouldn’t feel comfortable using a pushchair as she would have to hold her cane folded up under her hands on top of the handle bar.

“I want the option to have children but I know there are barriers to that, including travel,” she said. “When I have tried to navigate my nephews and nieces in a buggy with a cane I realised how inaccessible it was to use both.”

Thomas Angus, Imperial College London

Ramona Williams pushing the Smart Baby Buggy during trials.

Williams found out about an innovation session being run at Imperial College’s new White City campus through her local council and went along. She explained her idea for a buggy that people with sight loss would be able to use and it was chosen for a design engineering student project. She met with the students to discuss her invention and was pleased at how keen they were to take themselves out of their comfort zone in order to understand the boundaries faced by those with limited vision.

Thomas Angus, Imperial College London

An early prototype of the smart buggy, with sensors on the front.

The team of second year biomedical engineering students has worked with Ramona since October 2017 to bring her idea to reality. The buggy has sensors on the front and a bracket at the foot of the buggy for holding the user’s smartphone through which it is able to gain information about the ground ahead of the buggy.

By installing an app designed by the team, the smartphone can recognise various landmarks such as braille bumps, corners, and drop-offs, via its camera. The app then sends signals to vibration motors in the handlebar. Through different types of vibrations, the designers have created a touch-based language for communicating to the user when they are approaching hazards.

The buggy also has a bracket for holding the user’s cane, and a bright yellow ‘Visually Impaired Parent’ sign on its front to inform oncoming traffic and people.

“I’m excited about having a product that will not just help those with sight loss, but also work towards people understanding the difficulties faced."”
- Ramona Williams

“Now there is a pushchair in the world that can sense its surroundings,” Williams said. “The prototype will very soon be presented to the public and then coming home with me, but my hope is that it will be marketed so it can be affordable for those who need it. I’m excited about having a product that will not just help those with sight loss, but also work towards people understanding the difficulties faced.”

The product is set to be showcased to the public at Imperial Festival’s ‘Engineering to Enable’ exhibit on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 April.

Before You Go

7 Fun Creative Craft Projects For Toddlers

Make a crown fit for a prince or princess(01 of07)

Wrap bendable card around your child's head, take the measurement and trim off the excess card. Next, cut the card into a crown using a zigzag or get creative and try sticky-up hair or a favourite animal’s head or ears. Now it's your toddler's turn to decorate the card with felt tip pens, paint and glued-on bits of paper. Once they’re done staple the short sides together to create the crown. This is a great craft project for a play date. (credit:Matelly via Getty Images)

Make a car for whacky races(02 of07)

Large cardboard boxes are just begging to be transformed into cars. Glue paper plates to the side as wheels and let your child's imagination roar. They may want to draw in people and make a bus or add windscreens and doors but let them take the driving seat. (credit:patrickheagney via Getty Images)

Make a mask(03 of07)

Make masks with paper plates, hole punched on either side and threaded with elastic to fit your child's head. Your toddler can create whatever face they like using pens, paint, cut up tissue paper for hair and pipe cleaners for whiskers. (credit:igor kisselev, www.close-up.biz via Getty Images)

Make a model with modelling clay(04 of07)

Toddlers love squishing, rolling and moulding play dough with different shaped cutters and their hands. Keep your homemade play dough in a sealed container or mix up a new batch with this super simple recipe: 3 cups of flour; 2 tablespoons of cornflour, 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of cold water and 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil. Your toddler will love mixing up the ingredients. Divide your dough and choose different food colourings. Note: The salt content of homemade play dough is very high - keep an eye on your toddler to make sure they don’t eat any. (credit:Westend61 via Getty Images)

Do some potato printing and finger painting(05 of07)

Halve a few potatoes and cut out shapes of stars, circles, letters or animals (whatever your child asks you to do). Then, dip the cut out potato half into washable, brightly coloured poster paint and it's time for some stamping fun on plain paper. Hand printing is lots of squelchy fun too (and you'll have a lovely record of just how little their hands were). (credit:Michaela Gunter via Getty Images)

Make some binoculars or a telescope(06 of07)

This couldn't be simpler: after your toddler has painted two cardboard tubes the colours of their choice, tape them together for a pair of binoculars. A single longer roll (from your kitchen towel) makes a great pirate's telescope too. (credit:Chris Stein via Getty Images)

Make some silly glasses(07 of07)

Cut out a pair of glasses in plain cardboard. Stick coloured cellophane into the holes as lenses and let your toddler paint them in bright, funky colours. Once the paint is dry, provide a selection of sparkly bits and pieces to decorate: think sequins, buttons, self-adhesive spots, even pasta shapes. Now your toddler is ready for a super-cute photo opportunity. Note: Ensure your toddler is supervised at all times as small objects like sequins and buttons are choking hazards. (credit:Westend61 via Getty Images)