MUMBAI, India, May 1 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202641025759 A) filed by Jain; Dr Murugan R; Ashwini Bisanalli; Ayush Batham; Abhinav R; Debdatta; and Prathika, Bangalore, Karnataka, on March 5, for 'sensapath a system for visually impaired individuals.'
Inventor(s) include Jain; Dr Murugan R; Ashwini Bisanalli; Ayush Batham; Abhinav R; Debdatta; and Prathika.
The application for the patent was published on May 1, under issue no. 18/2026.
According to the abstract released by the Intellectual Property India: "Visually impaired individuals encounter continuous challenges in independent mobility, environmental awareness, and social interaction due to the absence of real-time visual information. Conventional assistive aids such as white canes and guide dogs provide limited support, as they primarily detect obstacles at ground level and fail to identify dynamic hazards, overhead obstructions, indoor navigation paths, or social context. Existing digital navigation applications are largely GPS-dependent, restricted to outdoor use, and incapable of providing real-time obstacle detection or indoor spatial awareness. These limitations significantly affect safety, confidence, and quality of life. The present invention, SensaPath, introduces an intelligent, wearable navigation and social awareness system specifically designed to enhance independence and safety for visually impaired individuals. The system integrates multiple sensing technologies, including ultrasonic sensors and LiDAR, to continuously scan the surrounding environment and detect static as well as dynamic obstacles such as walls, stairs, poles, furniture, overhead objects, moving individuals, and vehicles. Sensor data is processed in real time using artificial intelligence algorithms to assess distance, direction, and risk level. In addition to physical navigation, SensaPath uniquely incorporates a social awareness module powered by AI, enabling the identification of familiar individuals (with prior user consent) and interpretation of basic emotional states of nearby persons. This feature assists visually impaired users in understanding social surroundings, reducing anxiety in crowded environments, and improving social interaction. The invention supports dual-mode navigation compnsmg GPS-based outdoor navigation and mapped indoor navigation for complex environments such as shopping malls, airports, railway stations, hospitals, and educational campuses. Navigation instructions and safety alerts are communicated to the user through non-intrusive feedback mechanisms, including haptic vibration patterns and bone-conduction audio, ensuring that the user's hands and ears remain free for natural situational awareness. SensaPath is designed as a modular and customizable wearable device that can be implemented as a smart band, smart glasses, or clip-on accessory. The system emphasizes affordability, ease of use, and scalability. By integrating obstacle detection, navigation assistance, and social perception into a single wearable solution, the invention overcomes the drawbacks of existing assistive technologies and significantly improves safety, independence, confidence, and social inclusion for visually impaired individuals."
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