LINEAR ACTUATOR FOR

ULTRASONIC NAVIGATION
AND RANGING (LUNAR)
DEVICE FOR THE
VISUALLY IMPAIRED
BALLADOS, CZAR ANTHONY
EDJAN, VOHN ARCHIE
GALVE, CHRISTIAN AARON
GATILOGO, KASHINA ASHLEY
LIBERATO, CARLO
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Vision impairment or vision loss is a decreased ability of the
person to see and reduces the ability of the person to do daily
tasks. Blindness is a total or near total loss of vision according to
the World Health Organization (2015).
Several tactile and haptic feedback devices were made to
detect distances and alert the blind but the disadvantage of these
devices is they cannot interpret the absolute distances for the
blind. In this study, the researchers were motivated to create an
obstacle detector with an ultrasonic sensor that moves a linear
actuator to interpret the absolute distance of an obstacle.

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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Construct and evaluate the Ultrasonic Obstacle Detector for

Visually Impaired.

1. Design and construct an Ultrasonic Obstacle Detector for

Visually Impaired.

2. Evaluate the system in terms of:

a. Accuracy
b. Range
c. Reaction Time
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RESEARCH DESIGN

Experimental prototyping was the research method to be used in this

study. This method (Smith, 2019) evaluates the prototype designs as an
experiment, where there is a hypothesis to prove. It has a characteristic
of an experiment where it goes for consistent methods and variables, and
testing of hypotheses. It also works on the nonscientific area of
designing, as insights and modifications on improving the product can
be learned in order to meet its standard which is then implemented on
the next design
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RESEARCH DESIGN

• Accuracy
• Range
• Reaction time in detecting distances of obstacles

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 SUBJECT OF THE STUDY

Due to the quarantine protocols, the construction of the

LUNAR device will be performed at one of the researchers’
residences at Regent Pearl Homes, Barangay Alijis, Bacolod
City.

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
• Accuracy of the LUNAR Device
Interpreted distance (Trials)
Absolute distance

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

% Error
Mean
1 m 99.2 98.8 98.9 98.9 98.8 99.1 98.9 99.2 99.1 98.9 98.9 1.02
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 %
2 m 199. 198. 199. 199. 199. 199. 196. 198. 199. 199. 199. 0.45
10 90 40 00 30 00 84 80 00 20 30 %
3 m 269. 278. 298. 296. 297. 295. 296. 296. 299. 298. 292. 2.49
50 80 00 30 00 20 70 60 10 20 54 % WOODGROVE
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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
• Accuracy of the LUNAR Device

The greater the percent error the lesser is the accuracy of

the device and vice versa. It can be implied that the LUNAR
device is more accurate on obstacle distances closer to it such
as on 1 meter and its accuracy tapers off at 3m. The
inaccuracies and inconsistencies at longer distances could be
attributed to the sensor's conical shape of detection and
different obstacles with different distances.
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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
• Range of Distance that the Device could Detect Obstacles
Triggering of the LUNAR device(distance)
Trial  
  1m 2m 3m 4m
Legend: Yes – the
device is responding
1 Yes Yes Yes No to the changing
obstacle distance
2 Yes Yes Yes No
3 Yes Yes Yes No
4 Yes Yes Yes No
5 Yes Yes Yes No
6 Yes Yes Yes No
7 Yes Yes Yes No
8 Yes Yes Yes No WOODGROVE 9
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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
• Reaction Time of the Device on Detecting Obstacles

Absolute Reaction Time in seconds  (Trials)

distance
 

Mean
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
 

1m 0.28 0.34 0.33 0.32 0.26 0.37 0.35 0.31 0.25 0.30 0.31

2m 0.31 0.44 0.45 0.42 0.38 0.40 0.37 0.42 0.36 0.38 0.39

3m 2.34 2.96 0.68 3.09 2.47 2.96 1.28 2.19 1.95 1.99 2.19

Total Mean Reaction Time: 0.97

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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Since the device had met the minimum expected standards, only
a single
  reiteration of design and function has been made.

• The LUNAR device is effective at obstacles within 3 meters only

and at an angle of 15 degrees.

• It was also accurate enough to detect all physical obstacles,

together with their distance. The reaction time of the navigating
aid was fast enough for it to be practical and effective to the user. WOODGROVE
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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

•
 
Compared to other obstacle detection devices, the LUNAR
device has the ability to interpret the obstacle distance to its user
through a linear actuator. It can detect obstacles found on the
upper and lower extremities, left, right, back and in the center
depending on where the device is pointing.

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 CONCLUSION
Linear Actuator for Ultrasonic Navigation and Ranging (LUNAR) Device
for the Visually Impaired has met the expected minimum standards necessary to
 
be considered effective.

• The LUNAR Device operates at 3 meters in range. It interprets obstacle

distances accurately enough to be effective.

• Its reaction time was fast enough for it also to be effective. It could also be
manufactured using cheap and readily available materials.

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 CONCLUSION
• It helps the visually impaired with more convenient means of
life,
  particularly in navigation.

• Using the ultrasonic sensor, the approaching obstacles and its

distance informs the visually impaired through the LUNAR
device, making them aware of the location of obstacles and
pathways.

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RECOMMENDATION
• A 3D-printed casing for the device is recommended for more
ergonomic and compact design.
 
• It is advisable for the device to be placed under dry conditions
only.
• The linear slider is only limited to a 3m distance range but the
actual sensor can reach up to 4m. This means that further
innovations of the device can use this feature.
• Rechargeable power sources can be integrated for more
convenience on the utility of the device.

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 RECOMMENDATION

• Other parameters for the quality control of devices should be

 
administered by future researchers such as the time it takes for
the power in the device to be depleted.

• Additional sensors could be attached to improve the

effectiveness of devices such as a temperature sensor.
Additional actuators to improve the effectiveness of devices
such as vibrating motors or tactile  screens could offer
additional features or upgrade the current one. 

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 APPENDICES

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 APPENDICES

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 APPENDICES

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 APPENDICES

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 APPENDICES

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