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ELETRONIC TRAVEL AIDsETAs

PAST AND PRESENT TAER April 2004

Vance Lankford

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Purpose• To review history of ETAs, types, uses,

good and bad points.

• You could get this info. Red book, web sites, emails, But most MVS Bob Bryant got the award-Bob used these words to

describe himself/ professional, energetic, integrity, intelligence, list goes on and on but this year I had to use these same words just to talk him into giving information and

to borrow his ETAs.

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Who is this man?

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Statistics

• Bureau of Census 1994-95• Estimates vary-

approximately 10 million blind and VI in US (AFB)

• Legally Blind 1.3 million • Please don’t make me define

legally blind again• Special ed served 93,600

10,800 Deaf/Blind Visually Impaired

• 260,000 LP• 130,000 Totally Blind

• 55,200 legally blind children

• 109,000 VI use long canes

• Just over 7,000 Americans use dog guides (1500 graduate annually)

• ETA use not presented in study

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General• Travel aides have two components: senor and

display• Senor: How it is mounted• Display: How device presents spatial information

to the traveler. Hearing or touch• ETA emit energy waves to detect the environment

within certain range or distance to present detected information to the traveler in an intelligible and useful manner

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General Continued

• Quoting Nora Griffin-Shirley and some other guys ETAs “devices that transform information about the environment that would normally be relayed through vision into a form that can be conveyed through another sensory modality. Ok until last part. Can you explain?

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Opinions

• 1. Russell- simply display Purpose: path clear/ unclear

• Or Go-no-go system• 2. Kay- ETAs to

maximum amounts of information,

• Good travelers capable w/o ETA Bad traveler can’t use them

• In Past ETA mostly secondary aids

• Ultra Sonic Torch 1965 Professor Kay First Commercial Device First First DeviceDevice

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Sonic Torch

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Type I Devices

• Single output for object preview

• Go-no-go systems

• Russell Pathsounder

1966

• One of first commercially produced

• Vibratory 6 feet/ auditory beeping 32 inches

• Chest level,neck, wheelchairs

• Paved the way for future developments

• No Longer Available

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Mo aat Mowat What?

• Name: Geoff Mowat 1972

• Ultrasonic cone

• Approximately size of a human body Cone, not mowat

• Range 13.2 feet

• 3.3 feet switch

• Dependable, paved way, still used

• Vibrates related to distance from object

Knee to overhead protection• Cold, rain, heavy snow

may cause false readings• Pulse Date repair if locate

parts X • No Longer Available

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Polaron

• 1980s• Nurion Industries• Handheld/chest mounted• Ultrasonic and sonar• 4, 8, 16 feet• Vibrotactile or audible• 3 hours use• Pilot Light, mini radar

Italy seemed similar

Mirror like surfaces at close distances

• A redesigned Polaron should again be available by July 2004

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Sensory 6

• Ultrasonic

• Head mounted spectacle

• Headphones provide sound info.

• Range 6.56 feet to 11.48 feet, metrics

• Closer object higher pitch

Objects in front both ears, side objects hear with the ear on that side.

• 8 hours

• Cosmetic, reduced regular feedback, head position important

• 1994 last production

• No Longer Available

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WalkMate

• Later 1993

• Waist or handheld

• Audio or vibration

• U shaped beam rather than cone shaped

• 6 feet tall by 2.31 wide

• Recommended outdoors

• The beam may vary

• six foot range

• Beep speed increases at 3 feet.

• No Longer Available

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First Attempts at Mini-Guide not so successful

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Miniguide

• Tactile version more popular, slightly larger

• Audio also, original• Higher pitch of tone the

closer• Earphone socket provided• Many settings, ranges• Battery should last for

many months• Auto mode, but

remembers modes

• Have attached to cap or glasses for upper use

• Number of accessories for instructors Feb.17, 2004 received Feb.16 almost 1000 sold

• Reflection, secondary aid

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Hand Guide

• Compact

• Fits well in hand

• 2 modes detects objects sense of distance

• Audio mode

• Vibration mode

• 2 AA batteries

• Pocket/belt clip

• Wrist strap/Durable

• Infrared sensors detect 4 feet

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Type III Sonic Guide

• Provide Object preview and in addition environmental information

• Dr Kay Name again• Sonic guide more like

giving text rather than just head lines like type I devices

• Distance Information• Directional appreciation

Interpretation of tonal characteristics making primitive object identification possible lots of practice How many used Sonic Guide?

• Above head to knee 45 Degree Cone

• No Longer Available

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Sonic Guide

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Type IV Sonic Pathfinder

• Object Preview and artificial intelligence

• Computer controlled

• Wide beam sonic energy

• Head mounted Sonic energy translated into musical notes

• Sides one tone, in front other tones or ear

• Tone does affect hearing

• Less training, Computer simplifies meaning of sounds what we are about

• Secondary travel aide

• Displays only information which of practical interest not visual picture of world

• Tone changes each foot nearer an object

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Sonic Pathfinder

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vOICe• The Voice Software translates arbitrary video

images from a regular PC Camera into Sounds: A “Scene Reader”

• Every visual shape gives a unique sound

• Building, trees, even color identification

• Like a talking camera

• Scan left to right/ pitch means elevation rising or falling visual pattern

• Loudness means brightness

• O/m help build better mental picture of environment

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Canes

•Canes or other devices that are Primary Aids

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Guide Cane

• Robotic Dog Guide• Ultrasonic sensors

detect objects, computer determines suitable direction and steers the Guide Cane and user around it

• Guides with no conscious effort

• Project ended in 1998

• No further work since

No Longer Available

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Guide Cane

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Guide Cane

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Misc.

Wheelchair Mobility Device

Columbia Talking Compass- A compass that talks Included in information sheet

Braille Compasses-

Rover Light senor- light reflected off of sidewalk tell where edge, grass began

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What happened to Type II

• Multiple Outputs for object preview

• Still clear path

• Use of lasers/ go no go system

• Wheelchair Pathfinder

• Laser Cane

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Wheelchair Pathfinder

• Nurion Industries• Works with Chair or

Scooter• Head protection 8 to 4

feet beeping• Tone 1 foot side

protection

• Avoid or locate objects, straight line travel

• Back up safety

• Some models signal drop offs low pitch

• 4 feet from drop

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Wheelchair Pathfinder Unit

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Wheel Chair Pathfinder

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Laser Cane N-2000

• It has a long history of development

• Newest 3 beams At one point used two

• Head, straight, drops

• Estimate distances ahead and side

• Two AA batteries

• Single hand operated

• Power off still used as a regular cane

• Audible tones, can turn off sound vibrating stimulators under index finger

• Government study-most used ETA Laser cane web site. Primary travel tool

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N-2000

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BAT ‘K’ Sonar Torch-Cane

• History Part

• 1950’s Dr. Leslie Kay

• Training British Navy Sound waves submerged objects

• First thoughts Underwater swimming for blind

• Then for handheld Sonic Torch

• Studied Bats, along with Dr. Griffin

• Torch primary aid

• KASPA (Kay’s Advanced Spatial Perception Aid)

• Sonic Guide mentioned compatible with cane

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Cane vs. Torch

• 1966 Conference Training for Torch• Unfortunately, initiative concoincided with

emergence of long white cane from America *Torch primary aid/Cane Cheaper

• Always follow the money• 1969 Torch ceased production/commercial• O/m could have been torch trainers, • Torch too large for cane mounting at time

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Trisensor

• 1978 well used in Japan

• Sonic guide was manufactured into 1990s

• Demise was purely commercial matter

• Cost, training, agency support

• The miniaturized low-cost Sonar Torch now becomes the K Sonar Cane Torch is handle

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Trisenor

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Sonar Cane

• Standard Long Cane• Clipped with Sonar torch• Mimic Bat’s sonar• Sonar echoes heard in

headphones, recognizes textures

• KASPA lets brain discriminate between different objects

• All day battery, Narrow beam• Long arm grip with cane/ Blash

La Grow research oked grip like that

• Type III, like Sonic Guide

• 10 Times greater information than other devices.

• 20 feet range 2M/5M rang• Must learn new language of

sound• Claims cane tip and shaft just

safety backstop for torch• Turns on with head phone jack

insertion• 83 page manual 18 detailed

lessons

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Bat “K” Cane Handle

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Drop-offs

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Torches

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Ultra Cane Previous Batcane• Inspired by Bats

navigation at night

• Ultrasonic signal bouncing

• Covers front/head height of user

• Tactile feedback allows users to develop a mental map of area without effort

• Tactile no beeping

Company feels this is a big plus/ No sounds to interfere with travel

Available July 2004

At Wal-Marts everywhere X

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Ultra Cane

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Conclusion

• How often do we use ETAs with our students? Do we have students that could Benefit from an ETA..

• No certification required at this time.• Cost and addresses on hand out. Get address

handout here.

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Who is this?