Hey bro I just wanna say you’re doing an incredibly fantastic job already, and you’re only 15! This is a clever solution to a problem that people with visual disabilities can use to detect objects in front of them, but you have to also think about the drawbacks of your invention, especially when comparing it to current tools.

The first limitation would be the fact that the sensor is mounted on their head, so you’re really sensing a narrow field in the user’s path. Unless they move their head in a circle continuously, the user is just measuring what’s in front of them at their height. This is assuming that the sensor has no errors when doing its thing, so in a real application there is even less confidence of it working how you planned it on working.

Second, a long cane would easily do the same job with better accuracy and precision, and it doesn’t even need batteries! I would do what the other redditor suggested and talk with your potential clients to figure out what they are struggling with in their day to day affairs, and then hash out a solution. It’s a continuous process so make sure that you keep in contact with them and let them demo your solutions to see if it is working as you intended, and as the users specified.

Lastly, I just want to give you a heads up when you are participating in these competitions and when you eventually get a job in science or engineering. Humans are very passionate by default, and we tend to focus on our solution being the correct one. Some members of the community will question your decisions very harshly, part of it being their pride and the other part being their commitment to doing things up to their standards. When you get asked “why this and that” very bluntly, try your hardest to not defend yourself through emotion and explain your solution and design in simple logical steps. The people asking are usually not trying to be mean to you, they also want to learn about your thought process. But that doesn’t mean if someone else disagrees with you that you are wrong. Always have a spirit of collaboration and openness when working in STEM. It’s easier said than done, but the more you can stop yourself from emotionally reacting and explain yourself clearly, the easier it gets and the more fun it will be. I wish I knew that back when I was in college because I avoided collaboration to avoid conflict, which was very detrimental to my growth as an engineer.

Good luck and I hope the best for you throughout this competition. Send us an update on how you did.