[Central-md-chapter] The BuzzClip: New Wearable Technology for theBlind

Sat Oct 24 03:39:00 UTC 2015

I'm glad that my doubts resulted in this discussion.  At least I am now convinced that you and your associates are attempting to develop a helpful and useful product.  Who knows what might develop! Perhaps there are those in the blind community who can and will help you to develop, improve, produce, and market your product.  Questioning and development is how new things come about.  Of course new ideas are often met with resistance, even when those new ideas are good ones.  Consider the controversy Louis Braille created when he came up with braille.  Now days who wouldn't recognize that he was right and had a good idea? I'm looking forward to seeing what finally happens with this new product over the years.  Now people have all kinds of contact information from you.  Now some real dialogue and more development can begin.  I wish you well in your future endeavors.  

Brenda Mueller 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 23, 2015, at 9:14 PM, bin liu <info at imerciv.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi Brenda, 
> 
> Once again we do apologize for the way we presented the information on the first email and thank you for your advice. Our company name is iMerciv. Address is 112 College st, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founders names are Bin Liu and Arjun Mali. Cellphone number for the founders are Bin Liu : +1 (647) 919 6565; Arjun Mali: +1 (647) 919 9269. The link we sent initially is our Indiegogo page address and Indiegogo is one of the largest Crowfunding website in the world that is based in the United States just like kickstarter. 
> 
> For reference, our press release is on yahoo finance if you search "the buzzclip" on yahoo finance and we have been featured on Eyes on Mobility, blind.tech, coolwearable and techvibes and cnet japan. I won't attach links here, but you can find us on those websites if you need reassurance.
> 
> With regards to the device itself, I completely understand where you are coming from. There have indeed been many proximity detectors that came out over the years. And the earlier ones definitely caused a lot of frustration as the functionality and reliability were far from advertised. But we have been working closely and testing our prototypes every step of the way with visually impaired testers in Canada and New Delhi India. Although we do use the same ultrasonic technology, the technology has become much more refined over years. Also The Buzzclip is not just another ultrasonic proximity detector. The fact that it is wearable and hands free makes it applicable in a lot more use cases. Some of our testers have been using it in line ups at coffee shops to determine when the line is moving forward. Some of them have been using it as a way finder in tight spaces by walking in the directions where the Buzzclip doesn't detect anything. Some have been using it as security by attaching it behind them, they would know someone is sneaking up on them if the Buzzclip detects something coming towards them and they don't hear anything. Some have found it useful as they would be able to tell if the person they are conversing with got up to get water and when they get back. It provides extra information on the surrounding passively and users are constantly finding new ways to use this extra information. 
> 
> A lot of effort was put into optimizing the user experience of the device. Limiting it to 1m and 2m modes reduces false positives and only provide vibratory feedback on obstacles or people that is in your path or coming directly at you. The 2 range modes allows more flexibility depending on the density of objects or people in you immediate environment, i.e indoors and outdoors. The device goes to sleep if you are at a fixed distance for over a few seconds so that it doesn't constantly vibrate if you are talking to someone for example. It reactivates again if the distance changes for more than 10-15cm. So once it is switch on, the user can simply carry on their usual routine without the need to operate the device constantly. The battery will last for a full days use on a single charge. 
> 
> Aside from the useability, a lot of thought was put into the design and aesthetics as well. The Buzzclip is slightly larger than a lighter. The enclosure is made entirely of aluminum so that it is water resistant and durable and also very aesthetically pleasing. The devices consists of 3 main sections, a sensor arm that is circular and smaller than the size of an iPod nano in terms of area and just a little bit thicker. it is connected to the battery enclosure by a metallic spring clip that is similar to the ones on pocket knifes and multi-tools. The Battery pack is in the shape of a rectangle with rounded edges and is roughly the size of a USB drive. The micro-USB charging port is on the side of the battery pack. At the back of the sensor is the vibration motor arm with is elevated from the battery pack. The entire unit has a finish that is similar to the look and feel of the Apple TV remote. When it is worn, the only portion that will be exposed is the round sensor arm. 
> 
> I hope this explains it a little bit better. Again we sincerely apologize about the initial email. If you have any other questions or concerns you can reach either one of the founders at the above mentioned numbers.
> 
> Best Regards
> The iMerciv Team
> 
> 
>> On 2015-10-23 5:19 PM, Brenda Mueller wrote:
>> Well, this is the information you should have sent in the first place and in the body of that first message instead of that fluff.  After all you are addressing a group of potential users and customers.  Whatever your intentions are will become clearer as time goes by.  Had your first message contained additional contact information such as phone numbers, addresses, and maybe even the name of a real person to contact I probably wouldn't have been so suspicious.  As it is, I'll wait and see.  If you say that, that information was in your attachments, then I'd ask you who is crazy enough to open an attachment from a stranger? I'd strongly suggest you give thought to how you convey information.  The existence of your company depends on it.  
>> 
>> If you're legit', good luck!
>> 
>> Brenda Mueller 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>> On Oct 23, 2015, at 3:48 PM, iMerciv <info at imerciv.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Dear Brenda,
>>> 
>>> Our message is not intended to be harmful or malicious in any way.
>>> We are a small start-up company based in Toronto and we wanted to let people know about the development of our new product that caters to the orientation and mobility needs of those living with vision loss. The device has been tested and very well received by blind and low vision communities in Canada hence our excitement to let your members know about it.
>>> Our team consists of 2 founders that have both personally been affected by vision loss and we decided to put our heads together and create something that would truly benefit people living with blindness or significant vision loss.
>>> 
>>> More about our device:
>>> 
>>> The BuzzClip is a small wearable clip that is slightly larger than a standard lighter.
>>> It uses ultrasound to detect any obstacle it is pointing at and vibrates faster and stronger as the obstacle/person gets closer.
>>> It is an electronic device that can be clipped onto any part of one's clothing depending on where you need protection the most. 
>>> i.e it can be clipped on a lapel of a winter jacket, on a collar, sleeves (long or short) and the lining of one’s belt
>>> The BuzzClip is not meant to be a replacement for the cane or guide dog however is supposed to work in tandem with traditional aids to provide the user more information on their surroundings, particularly at head level. 
>>> 
>>> The clip is made from titanium and ensures secure attachment to one’s clothing, the BuzzClip also comes with a cord lanyard to make sure it is not lost.
>>> The device is quite attractive and has an aluminum ‘apple remote’ type of finish.
>>> The BuzzClip is currently available to pre-order on a crowdfunding platform ‘Indiegogo’ for the next 30 days and is being offered at a discounted price of $129 USD
>>> After the campaign ends, a final batch of BuzzClips will be manufactured and shipped to our backers by March of 2016.
>>> 
>>> We are working on making our website as accessible as possible within the next few weeks, however the most up to date information/videos about the product and company can be found here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-buzzclip-wearable-ultrasound-for-the-blind/x/11673979#/
>>> 
>>> Hope this helps!
>>> Let us know if you have any questions and we would be happy to answer them.
>>> You can contact us at info at imerciv.com
>>> 
>>>> On Oct 23, 2015, at 1:02 PM, brenda mueller via Central-md-chapter <central-md-chapter at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> I think this is malicious spam. It's fluff that says nothing about what the product does and essentially invites all us blind folks to go to their possibly inaccessible site to see the picture of that product while we unknowingly download a dangerous virus. Huh? What's amazing is that this so-called company needed a whole team to come up with a message that is oh-so-out-of-touch with its audience.  This spam needs to be removed now.  Don't go near that site! That's my opinion.  Agencies, be ware, too!What's worse is that company dared to use our site, because the blind are likely to trust information that comes from there.  I'm one blind lady that says remove this spam!
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Brenda Mueller
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: iMerciv via Central-md-chapter
>>>> <central-md-chapter at nfbnet.org
>>>>> To: central-md-chapter at nfbnet.org
>>>>> Date sent: Fri, 23 Oct 2015 11:06:01 -0400
>>>>> Subject: [Central-md-chapter] The BuzzClip: New Wearable
>>>> Technology for theBlind
>>>> 
>>>>> Dear Readers,
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> We wanted to share with some information with you about a new
>>>> revolutionary product that could really help people living with vision loss all over the world. The BuzzClip is currently live on Indiegogo and while our campaign is promoting this cool new technology, it also has a big social cause attached to it. For more information please check out our campaign page: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-buzzclip-wearable-ultrasou
>>>> nd-for-the-blind/x/11673979#/ <https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-buzzclip-wearable-ultraso
>>>> und-for-the-blind/x/11673979#/
>>>> 
>>>>> Our device has been street tested here in Toronto, as well as the
>>>> U.S and India by hundreds of visually impaired individuals.
>>>>> We have working units at many organizations within Toronto that
>>>> have been testing our device with their clients and the response thus far has been amazing. You can watch the BuzzClip in action or hear what some of our users have to say about it on our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSnwSwEYIMD-bs8xOZM4tIQ <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSnwSwEYIMD-bs8xOZM4tIQ
>>>> 
>>>>> It would be great if you could share this information with anyone
>>>> who would benefit from using a device like this or anyone who may want to order one for family and friends. With the support of the public, we can build a better product and can have them in the hands of people that truly need them as early as the spring of 2016.
>>>> 
>>>>> Please contact us if you have any questions and we really look
>>>> forward to hearing from you.
>>>>> Thank You & Best Regards,
>>>> 
>>>>> The iMerciv Team
>>>> 
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> 
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