<![CDATA[Visually impaired individuals face mobility and safety challenges in their daily activities due to their limited sense of sight. To address this issue, a smart cane prototype based on the Internet of Things (IoT) has been designed to enhance user independence and safety. This research focuses on the design and implementation of a navigation aid that integrates three ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles in the front, left, and right; an HMC5883L sensor as a digital compass for directional guidance; and a GPS Ublox Neo-6m module for location tracking. The entire system is controlled by an ESP-32 DEV MODULE microcontroller, with voice notifications delivered via a DFPlayer Mini and a speaker, and location data transmitted in real-time to a Telegram Bot as a monitoring feature. Comprehensive testing was conducted, including functional tests of each hardware component and system tests in various trajectory scenarios (both outdoor and indoor), including on staircases. The test results indicate that the system operates with high reliability. The ultrasonic sensors have an average error rate of under 1.6%, the HMC5883L compass demonstrates high accuracy with a maximum deviation of 1°, and the GPS module is capable of transmitting location data with an average delay of 1.3 seconds. The device successfully detected various types of obstacles, such as wood, metal, mirrors, and people, in different environmental conditions, including ascending and descending stairs. Therefore, this smart cane prototype successfully fulfills its purpose as a functional, accurate, and responsive navigation aid to improve the mobility and safety of visually impaired individuals.]]>
