A 20-year-old self-taught engineer in Kano has built a pair of AI-powered smart glasses that help visually impaired people move around without a cane or a human guide.
Khalifa Aminu began real-world testing of the device this week, fitting it on a blind volunteer to see how it performs outside the lab.
The glasses use cameras and sensors to scan the space ahead of the wearer. When the system detects an obstacle, such as a car, a building or another object in the person’s path, it sounds an alarm and vibrates to warn the user, who can then move to a clear space and keep walking.
“It is an object detection system that detects obstacles and other things that could block a blind person’s path, then gives an alarm and vibration to alert the blind person,” Aminu said, responding to a user who questioned how the device works.
Beyond obstacle detection, the glasses let users give voice commands to an AI assistant. Through voice alone, a wearer can take photos and videos, translate languages, get navigation directions, have text read aloud and ask questions. The glasses also carry GPS, which can share the wearer’s location by WhatsApp or email if they appear to be lost.
Aminu said he tested the device directly on a visually impaired person for the first time this week and called the reaction encouraging.
“Honestly testing a project like this directly on a real blind person is very important,” he said. “During the testing, I keep listening to their feedback, how they feel while using it, and what else we can add or improve.”
He said the tester described the experience as amazing.
Aminu is from Kano and taught himself engineering through YouTube videos, Google searches and AI tools, without formal training. Before the glasses, he built other devices, including an FM transmitter, a drone, a boat, an agricultural spraying device, security systems and an inverter. The glasses brought him national attention and won him the 2024 Indomie Heroes Award.
He said his plans for the glasses go further than obstacle detection. He intends to add spoken descriptions of a wearer’s surroundings, giving users more detail about the world around them rather than just warnings about what lies in their path.
“But my dream and vision go far beyond this,” Aminu said. “I want to use technology to make a real difference in people’s lives and help our society.”
He said the device is not a cure for blindness and does not restore sight. “My glass does not work with brain signals,” he said, clarifying that the system does not send visual signals to the brain.
Aminu is now seeking partnerships with technology companies and organizations that can help move the glasses from a working prototype to a certified product that can be manufactured at scale and sold at an affordable price.
“I believe this project deserves to reach the world and connect with technology companies and organizations that can support us in taking it to full production,” he said.
Reaction on X has been largely warm and supportive, and a bit of skepticism. One user complimented him, stating: “The fact that you’re testing it with people who actually need it makes the project even more meaningful. Keep building, this could make a real difference.”
Another user called him “the next Elon musk in Africa,” while one fan said the project “hits different” because it’s built for accessibility.
One user criticized Nigerian bloggers and influencers for not giving Aminu’s work the attention it deserves compared to celebrity gossip, saying “this bloggers will not post this guy… it is peller and ochancho they will be posting about.” Aminu thanked him and said his goal is to make sure the innovation “reaches the people who truly need it.”
Not everyone was convinced about the project. A user named accused him of “farming for engagement” and challenged him to explain, intellectually, how the glasses send visual signals to the brain so a blind person can see. Aminu responded by clarifying that the device is not a brain-signal or sight-restoration technology at all. It’s an object-detection and alert system, not a cure for blindness.
