[nfb-talk] Guide Bots

[Steve Jacobson]

Ed,

I, too, tried the Sonic Guid back in the 1970's and I found it to be a fascinating device.  The price was prohibitive, though, as 
you mentioned, and as I recall, the glasses were a little bulky.  Still, it was interesting how it really could convey some 
textural information.  You mentioned tree bard versus a sign post.  I remember being able to tell the difference between a flat 
wall and one that had drapes hanging in front of it.  A big drawback, though, was that as I recall it would pick up the signals 
from other sonic guides which would make it impractical at a convention if such a device became popular.  Still, it was 
interesting.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Wed, 29 May 2013 21:33:11 -0400, Ed Meskys wrote:

>This discussion is interesting, especially the side discussion of needing
>more info than the cane gives. I became blind, instantly and totally, in
>1971, and went to the Carroll Center (then called St. Paul's) near Boston
>four months later. I had two hours of mobility and orientation a day for 15
>weeks, and came out a fairly good cane user. I was also a beta tester for
>the Sonicguide, which I really liked and made good use of. It used sonar and
>had a range of 20 feet, and by stereo effect gave the direction of objects
>up to 30º to either side. It was good at picking up signs and tree branches.
>It picked up up curbs, but not down curbs. It was NOT a replacement for a
>cane, but supplemented it, giving me a better idea of my surroundings. Pitch 
>told you distance, and in a hallway the near and far edges of a doorway had 
>a distinct chord. You could count doorways on both sides as you walked down 
>a corridor. A metal lamppost had a different sound from the rough bark of a 
>tree. When it eventually died, I looked into buying a production model, 
>which I tested, and which was better than my beta. Unfortunately it cost 
>about $2K, a very large amount in the mid-70s, so I did not buy it. It 
>failed because it was so expensive, and it took a hard learning curve to 
>master it. Also, my primary mobility tool is a dog guide, so that removed 
>some of the need for it. However I still wish I could have afforded it at 
>the time.

>Ed Meskys


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