i do see the benefits of these but to be fair i think they are more suited to those like you gordon, using a long cane than those like me, who possess a guide dog. why would you need to know obstacles are in your way with a guide dog, as they walk you round them anyway just my thoughts WIll
On 27 Jul 2012, at 05:32, Gordon Smith <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi all > > OK, I just thought I'd give the group an update on my progress with the > iGlasses I mentioned on list a few weeks back. > > I've been using them regularly on my mobility exercises for a few weeks now, > and I have to say I am very impressed indeed with how well they work. I am > finding that the detection of objects is actually better than advertised and > even if an object is around chest hight, the iGlasses seems to pick them up. > Even my instructor has commented on how effective they seem to be for me, and > they sometimes alert me to obstacles before my white cane detects them. > > For instance, if I cross a road and there is a parked vehicle in my path on > the opposite side of the street, the glasses alert me way before the cane > finds the obstacle. I know then that something is in my way, and it is much > easier to navigate a course around the vehicle. As I'm sure those who use a > cane will know, sometimes the cane can actually miss high vehicles whose > wheels lift the bottom of the van or wagon higher than it is possible to > detect with a cane, so you don't realise it's there until you are almost > walking into it. In cases such as that, the iGlasses are proving to be > indispensable. I'm so glad I have them now, and I find myself wondering > where they've gone if I go out without them. > > The iGlasses are a bit heavy in terms of what you'd expect a pair of > spectacles to be. But that's unavoidable I think, due to the quite complex > circuitry that must be housed inside of the frame. My one gripe is the nose > bridge is very narrow. I find it impossible to wear the glasses high up on > the bridge of my nose because they just don't sit securely enough. So they > are almost perched on the end of my nose. Well, that's a slight > exaggeration, but even so, I'd have liked a wider recess in the frame. > There's no option there, by the way. You just take what you're given, as > they are only one size. You can adjust the length of the arms which fit over > your ears. But actually that's another point. The arms don't have the same > curve that most spectacles have at the ends, so they don't sit quite as > firmly on the ears as normal spectacles do. > > all that said, I still wouldn't be without them now. The battery life is > excellent. According to the specifications they give you a continuous > 10-hours of vibrations. Something which is obviously not going to happen in > the real world. So they last weeks and weeks on a single charge. When you > switch the glasses on, they emit a series of 4 beeps, if the battery is fully > charged. 3 Beeps if the battery is 75 percent charged. 2 Beeps if the > battery is 50 percent charged. If the battery is almost flat you get a long > beep when you power them on and the beep repeats more and more frequently as > the battery becomes discharged. Charging from fully discharged to fully > charged takes around two-and-a-half hours, and the charger automatically > disengages when the battery is fully charged in order to conserve energy. > > So, there you are. I hope that somebody found some of that of interest. I'd > recommend these to any blind person as a secondary mobility aid. It is very > very important to stress that though. These glasses are not designed for use > as a primary aid, replacing a white cane or a guide dog. They are designed > to compliment your existing aid, which they do very well indeed in my opinion. > > Gordon > > > ======================================= > > The Techno-Chat E-Mail forum is guaranteed malware, spyware, Trojan, virus > and worm-free > > To modify your subscription options, please visit for forum's dedicated web > pages located at > http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/techno-chat > > You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Techno-Chat group at > either of the following websites: > > http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/techno-chat/index.html > > Or: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> > you may also subscribe to this list via RSS. The feed is at: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> > > --------------------------------------- ======================================= The Techno-Chat E-Mail forum is guaranteed malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free To modify your subscription options, please visit for forum's dedicated web pages located at http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/techno-chat You can find an archive of all messages posted to the Techno-Chat group at either of the following websites: http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/techno-chat/index.html Or: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> you may also subscribe to this list via RSS. The feed is at: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> ---------------------------------------
