Visioball 1

Project description

This project focused on further developing the Visioball, an interactive device designed to support blind and visually impaired children during play and learning activities. While previous project groups had created a functional prototype, the system still had several limitations. The internal electronics were not well structured, important features were missing, and there was no user-friendly way to configure the device.

To address these challenges, the hardware was redesigned to improve reliability and support wireless communication. In addition, a mobile application was developed, allowing users to adjust settings such as sound volume and select different game modes. These improvements resulted in a more maintainable system and a significantly enhanced user experience, making the Visioball easier to configure and use in educational and rehabilitation environments.

Context

Koninklijke Visio supports people with visual impairments and blindness through rehabilitation, education, and assistive technologies. The Visioball was developed as an interactive device to help blind and visually impaired children participate in play and learning activities. Although a functional prototype already existed, its practical use was limited by the lack of a configuration interface, an unstructured hardware design, and missing functionality. These limitations made the device difficult to maintain, expand, and adapt to different user needs. The project was therefore initiated to improve both the technical foundation and the usability of the Visioball.

Results

The project resulted in a significantly improved version of the Visioball. The internal hardware architecture was restructured and expanded to support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication, creating a more reliable and maintainable platform. A mobile application was developed that allows users to configure the device, adjust volume settings, and select different game modes through an intuitive interface. Together, these improvements enhanced the usability, flexibility, and overall user experience of the Visioball, making it more suitable for practical use in educational and rehabilitation environments.

About the project group

Over the past five months, our team has been working on the VisioBall project. Jurgen and Dylan were responsible for the tech development, while Koen and Merlijn focused on the backend and embedded software, including the BLE communication system. Puterie led the design and development of the app’s user interface and overall user experience.

Repository