[nfb-talk] sonar for blind

[Buddy Brannan]

Hi,

Agree with mike. And, there's clicking and clicking. I mean, it can be fairly unobtrusive, really. I've seen interviews with Daniel Kish, and he seems to be an interesting fellow, with a pretty good grip on using "the right tool for the right job". That is to say, he hasn't thrown out his cane entirely. If we're talking about using this in place of, rather than in conjunction with, other useful tools, I agree that we're asking for trouble, but I don't think that's what's going on here. After all, what's magic about the long white cane? Nothing; it's a cane. I, at least, use the sound cues from it, as well as the tactile ones. Come to that, I'd really like to learn to use this "flash sonar" technique to greater effect myself. We all do it a little, probably even subconsciously, so why not learn to harness that? In its proper context, what's the problem? I expect it won't keep you from falling down a flight of stairs, which is a great reason to use a cane, but I also acknowledge that you could well get very useful information from this technique. 
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY



On Jun 28, 2011, at 1:12 PM, Michael Bullis wrote:

> As I have indicated in other articles, I think we disparage this kind of
> thing far too quickly.  It works very well for detecting objects at quite a
> distance.  No, I don't want to click my way into a job interview, but, at
> the same time, the skill is useful in its propper place.
> Mike Bullis
> Baltimore MD
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of T. Joseph Carter
> Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 12:49 PM
> To: NFB Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] sonar for blind
> 
> Why do parents encourage this kind of thing, really?  *sigh*
> 
> Joseph
> 
> On Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 11:33:46AM -0400, Ed Meskys wrote:
>> The Growing Success of Seeing With Sound
>> from Spiegel
>> 
>> Two-and-a-half-year-old Juli merrily twirls around, holding a small white
> cane in her outstretched arm. Every so often, she makes a discreet clicking
> sound with her tongue. Doing so allows her to see with her ears, her parents
> say. She just needs more practice.
>> 
>> Four-and-a-half-year-old Frida already knows how it works. If someone holds
> out a pot lid at arm's length, she can locate it with a fair degree of
> precision. Using subtle tongue clicks, she scans the space in front of her
> face. "There it is!" she says. With a few more clicks, she can even
> determine the contours of the lid. The edge lies where the echo cuts off and
> she no longer hears a response.
>> 
>> The two girls are learning a method of echolocation known as "flash sonar,"
> which resembles the type of active sonar used by bats. Both were born blind
> in Berlin, and both have parents who want to spare them from the typical
> life of a blind person.
>> 
>> http://ow.ly/5rV9d
>> 
>> 
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