Viahero: gps-enabled radar smart cane integrating yolo-based obstacle and public utility vehicle recognition for enhanced mobility of visually impaired commuters/ Ma. Charina O. Gavica, Ma. Cristina F. Jara, Hannah R. Jovellanos, Dixie Marie Trista S. Marquez, and Khryzelle Trisha L. Suyat.--

Bachelor's thesis

College Of Engineering.--
Bachelor of science in electronics engineering: Technological University of the Philippines,
2025.

Includes bibliographic references and index.

The problem of heavy traffic in urban areas in the Philippines is especially
problematic for visually impaired individuals, given the limitations of white canes, which
can only be used for close-range ascertaining of spatial obstacles. This study addresses the
gap by proposing a GPS-enabled radar smart cane with YOLOv8 object detection on Jetson
Nano, enabling autonomy and enhanced situational awareness in outdoor settings. The
system provides tracking in motion in real-time with Neo-6M GPS for location, obstacle
detection with RCWL-0516 radar, and detection and classification of stationary and
moving public utility vehicles (PUVs) using a custom-trained YOLOv8 model. To further
improve usability, the smart cane is designed with dual feedback mechanisms; audio alerts
for object detection are spoken through wireless earphones, while haptic feedback from a
vibrating handle gives cues for physical obstacles identified by the radar sensor. Training
results of the YOLOv8 model showed a 92.9% [email protected] detection accuracy. The runtime
was also estimated when using a 20000mAh power bank to be 5.73 hours. In The User
Evaluation with 13 visually impaired participants, average ratings were high: 4.4 for
Functionality and Efficiency, 4.21 for Usability and Aesthetics, 4.23 for Mobility and
Maintainability, and 4.29 for Safety and Reliability. This strongly suggests that the smart
cane is very reliable in providing real-time alerts and navigation support greatly enhancing
the user’s safety, mobility, and independence.