School of Industrial Engineering students at Malang Muhammadiyah University (UMM) have developed a money sensor to assist the blind. 

The project idea was inspired by the defrauding of blind masseuses.

Yoga Adi Wijaya, a member of the project team said in a press release on Saturday, “We visited the blind massage training center and listened to the masseuses’ complaints. One of the complaints was how customers had tricked them when paying for their services.”

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Following their findings, Yoga and his friends decided to develop a device called Censor Glasses for the Blind (Kasentra), an innovative product that combines glasses and a special sensor to detect an amount of money. 

The device is easy to use, as the user only has to put the money in front of the glasses for it to be detected by the sensor. An audio indicating how much money is being shown will follow suit, confirming the money’s amount to the user. Kasentra is designed as a standalone device and doesn’t need to be paired with a smartphone. 

Bagus Arif, another member of the project team said, “We developed Kasentra by assessing the plus and minuses of existing products,” he said, adding that Kasentra was more efficient and affordable.

The students will continue to develop Kasentra. In the future, they are looking forward to equipping Kasentra with a sensor for braille. Yoga said, “We’re currently working with the School of Information and Technology to develop a reading sensor that can be attached to the glasses.” (asw)