(VOVworld) – Nguyen Duy Quy is Vice Principal of the Nguyen Dinh Chieu school for visually-impaired students in Da Nang city. In addition to a number of tools to assist his students in mathematics he has recently invented a smart guide cane for the blind. Minh Hoa reports:
Teacher Hoang Van Khuong says he used to need someone to guide him wherever he went. Since he was given a smart guide cane by Mr. Quy, he has been able to commute by himself between his home and the school. The cane produces light and sound signals. Khuong said: “I had a lot of difficulties walking around. I’m more confident with this cane, which has become my companion.”
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Quy has really sympathized with his students during his 15-year career, which prompted him to invent something to assist them. After 2 years of research, he managed to produce a smart guide cane. When a blind pedestrian wants to cross the road, he turns on a switch on the cane. A LED light and an audible signal warn others to make way. The bottom part of the stick has an attached magnet to help avoid sharp or pointed metal objects. Quy told VOV: “In the beginning the battery ran out after 5 minutes. I changed the design to use a more energy-efficient circuit. If energy is used for 15-20 minutes a day, each battery can last up to 20 days. I’m happy that my students can use this guide cane.”
Quy’s invention won third prize in the 2014 Science and Technology Innovation Contest and has been ordered by several schools for visually-impaired students in Ho Chi Minh city. Mai Van Hien, an 11th grader at Nguyen Thuong Hien school in Da Nang, said: “Teacher Quy’s guide stick eases our traveling yet it is very easy to use.”
Quy has invented a number of other tools to assist visually-impaired students such as magnetic boards, drawing tools, and electromagnetic nets. Hien again: “Quy is an enthusiastic and dedicated teacher. His inventions have helped us a lot in our study.”
Hien and his peers hope teacher Quy will continue inventing things to help them integrate into the community.