It is incredibly motivating to hear about this young woman’s journey from seeing the difficulties a family friend was facing to creating an invention that has the potential to improve millions of lives.
Meet Tiffani
Tiffani Gay is a smart 16-year-old girl from Orlando, Florida who just realized a device that can change millions of people’s lives.
The Story
It all started when she observed a family friend’s vision degenerate over time.
Her Invention
The teen sophomore at the Orlando Science School invented a LiDAR navigational system designed to help those who are visually impaired.
Comfy Design
Wearing above the brow of the head, the device is a type of electronic headband that has undergone numerous variations to achieve its current shape. It is outfitted with LiDAR sensors that map the user’s surroundings.
How It Works
Tiffani’s invention has a mapping that allows the device to understand its surroundings electronically. She said, “There are multiple different LiDAR sensors around the brim of the device, and what that’s going to do is topographically map the user’s environment.”
With The Help Of Vibrations
Tiffani set the device to utilize haptic feedback to communicate with the user. It uses vibrations to alert the wearer of obstacles and other things in their path. She said, “Whenever you’re texting someone and you feel those types of tactical feedback on your finger, that’s a haptic vibration.”
Her Mission
Her invention now costs around $200, which is quite reasonable for medical assistance devices, but Tiffani wants to make it even more accessible to people. She said, “Decreasing the price is a significant change I want to make.”
Inspiring Teen
Tiffani’s parents encouraged her curiosity in studying by putting her in preparatory school before she was even five years old, demonstrating to her the value of knowledge. She said that her mother encouraged her to feel at ease speaking in front of an audience, sharing her ideas, and striving to make them a reality.
Watch how Tiffani’s incredible invention works in the video below.
Watch Video Here:
