The idea for this project came from animals that use echolocation as form of sight. Hootie is my 14 year old Shih Tzu who is going blind. There are lots of times she runs into objects that are in the way of her normal path ( i.e. laundry basket, box etc).

I thought of using an alarm and an ultrasonic sensor as an extension to her sense of sight. Similarly to a blind person using a sight cane, this will be a “sight cane” modified for a dog.

The input sensor will be the Ultrasonic Sensor and the output signal will be an alarm that sounds when she gets close to an object. Hopefully this will stop her before she reaches the obstacle or at least alert someone she in need.

Supplies

Arduino Uno R3 Controller Board

HC- SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor

Jumper Wires (6)

Active Buzzer

Battery Connector

9V Battery

*Super Starter Kit with Tutorial and UNO R3 Compatible with Arduino IDE can be purchased from Amazon. As of today 4/30/23 the price is $35.99. It contains all the necessary components needed.

Velcro Squares ($2.93 package of 12 squares)

Zip Ties (Target $3.99 package of 40)

Dog Jacket with Pocket (Target $19.99 size Small)

Step 1: Wiring Sensor to Uno R3

Take 4 Jumper Wires and connect the sensor to the R3

Red Wire- VCC to 5V

Orange Wire TRIG to ~9

Green Wire ECHO to ~10

Black Wire GND to GND

Step 2: Wiring Buzzer to R3

Use 2 Jumper Wires to connect the buzzer to the R3

Blue Wire (positive) on buzzer to ~11

Brown Wire (negative) on buzzer to GND

Step 3: Code and Download

Next you will plug the R3 into your computer.

Open the Arduino IDE Program ( downloaded from Arduino Site or a disc is included with the Starter Kit)

Select File; New Sketch and enter codes

Step 4: Assemble the Jacket

Once codes are downloaded onto the R3 and the components are working you can begin to assemble them onto the jacket.

Attach the Velcro squares on the jacket and the back of the R3 board.
Place 9v battery in pocket located on the back of the jacket. If you do not have a pocket, you can Velcro it.
Use Zip Ties to hold wires together
Attach Velcro squares on the back of the sensor and on the jacket underneath the dog's chin area ( another option would be to place the sensor on the hood of a dog jacket if available).