Published on Jul 2, 2002

Thanyaporn Wongnate has never experienced living in a world where all is dark. She says she cannot imagine how it feels to be blind. Yet, she often closes her eyes, walks around and does her best to find out how sightless people survive.

"I live in this world and I can see everything, which makes me a very lucky person. But for those who are unable to see, it must be a difficult life," says the 17-year-old from Nakornsawan School.

From her experience of bumping into obstacles and tripping on curbs, the teenager has longed hoped to find a way of improving the conditions of those who are visually impaired.

"I want to make something that can help them go anywhere on their own and importantly, in complete safety," she says.

To Thanyaporn, the stick used by the blind is just that: a stick. She acknowledges that it has some value in a dark world, but believes that a touch of "magic" would not come amiss.

The stick, she says firmly, should be able to give the non-sighted person advance knowledge that an obstacle is in their path and direct them to take a different way. And because the blind have an acute sense of hearing, the stick that Thanyaporn has come up with emits a sound signal to let the blind know what's in front of them.

"I call it my magic stick," she says. "Because it can really help the blind to find their way and alert them if there is something in their path."

Thanyaporn's magic stick closely resembles the conventional stick, except for the small black box that is attached to the bottom. This small black box is equipped with a sensor and emits a signal if it detects any objects located within a one and a half metre radius. That sound, she explains, acts as the warning. The sensor also picks up concentrations of water, telling the user that flooded areas lie ahead or around them.

"I want it to be act like an eye for the blind, so that they can be more self-sufficient in their daily lives," says the teenager.

Thanyaporn spent eight months developing the magic stick. The prototype serves the purpose for which it was intended, but she is now concentrating on making her invention more compact and thus more user-friendly.

"My magic stick is still large and too heavy, so it's not yet completely suitable for use. I need to do more research, to find out ways of reducing the size of the box and integrating it totally with the stick."

The new version will not only sport a smaller box for the sensor but also help the blind to walk safely at night.

"Even though it's just a prototype, I hope that one day it will be used. I believe that technology can be applied to assist and improve peoples' lives, especially for the disabled," she says.

Jirapan Boonnoon

The Nation