LUTZ, Fla. — A High school sophomore from Lutz earned second place at the Invention Convention U.S. Nationals for inventing an AI-enabled smart cane for people with visual impairments.
Ishanvi Sabniveesu from Steinbrenner High School won second place for her invention, the "AI-Enabled Smart Cane for the Visually Impaired," which uses artificial intelligence to describe the surrounding environment to users through a Bluetooth earpiece.
The can features an AI camera that analyzes the user's surroundings and delivers spoken navigation guidance and obstacle alerts in real time.
“I wanted to build something that didn’t just detect obstacles — something that could understand the world the way a human eye does, for everyone, no matter where they live,” Sabniveesu said.
Sabniveesu has filed a patent application for her invention. She also founded an online nonprofit, Chronic Connect, that connects people with chronic illnesses to others with similar experiences and helps them find peer support.
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