Hello,
I really don't have anything to add to Martin's message. I will say I
tried out the ... I think it's called the ultracane? It has electronic
censors in it, and when there are objects overhead or in front of you,
it vibrates different parts of the cane to indicate in which direction
there are obstacles. I think I might have liked it if I could get used
to the directions and equate them with how I was walking.
But I don't know how you would hear anything in traffic like Martin
said. Even when I have tried GPS devices, I have found them slightly
distracting because I am listening for traffic and the like.
Mary
Quoting Martin McCormick <[email protected]>:
Those are good questions. I have been using the standard white
cane since around 1967 and there really are some ways that
electronics could enhance it but I haven't heard of anything yet
that sounds like what we call a killer application.
Here's the problem. The cane is an extension of our hand
and transmits a lot of information mechanically back to us about
what is just ahead and to the sides as you swing it back and
forth.
Our ears really need to be fully tuned in to the
surroundings such as traffic or work going on so that channel is
pretty much occupied all the time and doesn't need any more
inputs competing with a busy world. When there is nobody around
on a peaceful day, you could stand to hear all sorts of prompts
and tones from your cane that could tell you about overhead
branches and things off to the sides, but the world can get very
noisy and confusing very quickly. I am talking about hardly
being able to hear yourself think due to construction or heavy
vehicles or even high wind. At that point, you suddenly loose
that channel because it is effectively jammed completely by
racket. About the only thing that still works is your sense of
touch so devices that transmit vibrations to your hands or even
other parts of your body such as the neck or back or even the
stomach could be used but anything that talks is going to have
to be either right in your ear or able to be hugely loud to do
any good.
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