MUMBAI, India, Oct. 12 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202621102426 A) filed by Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute Of Technology, Pimpri, Pune -; and Dnyaan Prasad Global University, School Of Technology And Research, Pimpri, Pune - on August 25, 2026, for Stepsense: Footwear That Cares And Guides.
Inventors include Dr. Madhavi Repe; Om Mahajan; Aditya Markad; and Sudarshan Maske.
The application for the patent was published on October 09, 2026, under issue no. 41/2026.
Abstract: This paper introduces StepSense, a wearable smart shoe system developed to assist visually impaired individuals in navigating safely and independently. The proposed system combines dual-channel obstacle sensing, vibration-based directional feedback, GPS tracking, geo-fencing, and wireless connectivity within a compact, battery- powered design. Two HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensors mounted on the shoe continuously scan the surrounding environment and generate independent left-right vibration alerts whenever obstacles are detected nearby. An ESP32 microcontroller processes sensor data, controls feedback mechanisms, and manages real-time wireless communication. A web-based caregiver monitoring interface supports live GPS visualization, geo-fence breach alerting, SOS emergency notifications, and device health monitoring. Experimental testing in indoor and semi-outdoor environments demonstrated 93–96% obstacle detection accuracy, 92–95% directional identification accuracy, and an end-to-end response latency of 40–90 ms. The system achieves 5–8 hours of battery autonomy on a 3.7 V Li-ion cell, confirming its suitability for full- day wearable deployment. The overall platform provides an affordable, energy-efficient assistive solution with measurable improvements in navigation support over conventional assistive devices. In addition to obstacle detection and navigation assistance, StepSense enhances user safety through continuous location monitoring and intelligent geo-fencing capabilities. The system enables caregivers to track the user’s position in real time and receive immediate notifications whenever the user exits a predefined safe zone or activates the emergency SOS feature. The directional haptic feedback mechanism eliminates dependence on audio alerts, allowing users to remain aware of surrounding environmental sounds while receiving intuitive navigation cues.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
