Eyes: LiDAR-Powered Navigation for the Visually Impaired
Raymer Medina
At Hefestru Fund, we are thrilled to introduce our latest development: Eyes, an iOS application designed to help blind and visually impaired people better understand the world around them.
We built this project on the belief that technology should be within everyone's reach. By utilizing the built-in LiDAR depth sensors found in iPhone Pro models (from iPhone 12 Pro to the upcoming 17 Pro Max), we have created a solution that accurately detects obstacles at various heights and distances.
Our Approach: Enhanced Safety and Autonomy We understand that while the white cane is essential, it has limitations with overhead or elevated objects. With Eyes, we aim to bridge that gap. Our app provides real-time audio feedback, announcing the distance of obstacles in centimeters to significantly reduce the risk of collisions.
Our goal is simple: to enable blind individuals to navigate the world with the help of technology that is already available to many.
The Future of Eyes While our project began with the idea of manufacturing and donating physical devices—which remains part of our long-term vision—we decided to launch this app first to accelerate development and reach users sooner.
This is just the beginning. We are actively working on our roadmap to include:
- AI-Powered Text Recognition for reading books and labels.
- Object Recognition for everyday items.
- Advanced Navigation with voice-guided GPS.
The project is open source. You can see the app in action on our Instagram or check out the repository on GitHub.
