Mumbai Student Develops Smart Attachment for Standard White Canes to Aid Visually Impaired

Mumbai-based early-stage assistive mobility venture ClearWay Mobility has introduced a smart attachment designed to add obstacle detection capabilities to the standard white cane used by visually impaired individuals. The device, which alerts users to obstacles through vibration and optional audio feedback, operates independently without requiring a smartphone, dedicated application, or a change in the user's existing cane.

The product was developed by 17-year-old Jaiveer Talwar, a student at The Cathedral & John Connon School in Mumbai. What initially began as a school science-fair project in 2021 has evolved over five years into a functional assistive device. Talwar's early interest in the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship led him to focus on the mobility challenges faced by visually impaired people in urban environments such as Mumbai, where crowded streets, uneven pavements, and unpredictable obstacles are common.

To gain practical exposure to mobility challenges and assistive technologies, Talwar completed an internship with a prosthetics company in 2024. Subsequently, in 2026, a revised version of the ClearWay device underwent testing with students and teachers at the Smt. Kamla Mehta Dadar School for the Blind in Mumbai. Feedback from these trials helped shape the product's emphasis on simplicity, reliability, and ease of use.

Interactions during the school testing phase also highlighted safety concerns for visually impaired young women. In response, the current version of the ClearWay device incorporates GPS tracking, enabling family members to check the user's location when necessary.

With the testing phase complete, ClearWay Mobility has entered the manufacturing stage, with an initial batch currently being produced. The next phase of operations will focus on refining the product through continued user feedback, collaborating with institutions for wider testing and deployment, and exploring strategies to make the device accessible at scale.

"The development of ClearWay Mobility highlights the growing potential of young entrepreneurs identifying grassroots challenges and building practical solutions. By focusing on an existing tool like the standard white cane rather than forcing users to adopt entirely new equipment, the venture demonstrates a user-centric design approach. For early-stage assistive technology startups, keeping products affordable, reliable, and independent of complex infrastructure like smartphones is key to achieving real-world adoption and scalable impact." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes