[access-uk] Re: brain port question
- From: Peter Meijer <feedback@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:06:51 +0100
Hi Ari,
I completely agree that training is a key issue that is not yet properly
addressed. There are ongoing research projects in the US, Canada, Israel
and Germany that are looking into training with The vOICe, but it will
take time before this results into training programs around the world,
including South Africa. I nonetheless decided to make the technology
available globally to end users who want to give it a try, because I am
convinced that their feedback is essential to guide further research and
development, as well as to help establish what is possible and practical.
Users are still largely on their own where it comes to training, but the
feedback from those that push on is proving extremely valuable, and we
are making very good progress in using affordable mass market hardware:
The vOICe is maybe 40 times cheaper than the BrainPort while at the same
time offering a higher visual resolution. (Oh yes, and you can eat and
talk. <g>)
The general advice to new users is to start with things that are simple
and yet representative for later more practical uses. Otherwise it can
prove frustrating. One can think of basic exercises where the pitch sweep
of a white cane lying on a dark floor lets you fetch it directly without
groping, or the characteristic tonality of a rising staircase that you
can easily memorize and lock on to in order to walk directly towards it,
and so on. In no way am I suggesting that everyone should try and use it,
but those who wish to now have the option. For some it will only be the
extras such as having a basic color identifier on the phone that serves
their purpose without adding the physical hassle of a separate device.
However, neither the BrainPort nor The vOICe will replace the cane or
guide dog, because these devices cannot reliably indicate things like
manholes, step downs and various other physical hazards. BrainPort and
The vOICe are more like sensory supplements that for instance let you
anticipate what you will shortly after run into with your cane, while
giving clues about your heading and position with respect to buildings
and other more or less distant visual landmarks, as well as assist in
quickly getting a mental picture of a corridor with doors or whatever.
I'm not saying that one cannot do much of that also with echolocation,
but it does open up new possibilities. Clearly though we must minimize
the inconvenience of using a device, say down to the level of a sighted
person wearing sunglasses, and with a decent non-obtrusive appearance.
BTW, Ari, where in South Africa are you? Do you perhaps happen to know
Jacob Kruger from Johannesburg? He is starting to get well versed with
The vOICe and has been helping others.
Peter
Seeing with Sound - The vOICe
http://www.seeingwithsound.com
Hi Peter
I've seen the VOICE, but I think a lot of the problem is that for a
person like me who maybe doesn't have access to people who could sort of
help offer training to get used to many of these technologies is also
the drawback. A lot of research in trying to help blind people use these
things takes place in the States or Europe, not in South Africa and when
you download it independently, I don't really think you can really
understand how to use it to its full potential, or really know what to
expect from it. I myself don't yet have a good enough mobile, but I saw
it on my friend's one and from the bit I saw it looked ok. The thing is
that you'd still need a cane or dog no matter what because half of these
devices can't detect things like stairs and things like that. I also
tried a K Sonar
www.batfortheblind.com
but again it irritated me more than actually helping because I didn't
know how I was supposed to properly interpret the feedback I was getting
from all these sounds and what these different sounds sort of meant. I
think as Damon says things that offer some other type of feedback
instead of sound patterns maybe a better deal, because I mean with
traffic and all the hussle, speaking for myself, I really can't
consentrate on trying to listen properly to sounds like that. Here's
quite a good one, although I don't know what happened to it, but I heard
of a guy who wanted to build a robotic kind of guidedog which would also
use gps navigation. If that robot could be like made 100% reliable to
not get you run over or any other harm that might be a cool thing I'd
get. Ari
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