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As many of you may know, there was some information posted on a large
number of NFBNET.ORGG lists, in the past couple weeks about a mobility
aid called the BuzzClip. The piece seemed primarily to be a marketing
announcement and many people had questions about the device. A
lively discussion took part on a number of lists.<br><br>
So that people only receive the information once, I have agreed to
distribute some information, as a convenience. I, nor the NFB are
endorsing this device. We are only making you aware of its
existance.<br><br>
David Andrews<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">From: Arjun Mali
<arjunmali@imerciv.com><br>
Subject: Re: Advice on NFB Mailing Lists - iMerciv<br>
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2015 20:39:09 -0400<br>
To: David Andrews <dandrews@visi.com><br><br>
Hi Everyone, <br><br>
We are a small start-up company based in Toronto called iMerciv Inc. 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 street tested and very well received by
blind and low vision communities in Canada hence our excitement to let
your members know about it. The newly launched BuzzClip is a small
wearable device that helps those living with vision loss with day to day
traveling by detecting obstacles in one’s immediate environment and
then notifying the wearer of these obstacles through intuitive
vibrations. It uses ultrasound to detect any obstacle it is pointing at
and vibrates faster and stronger as the obstacle/person gets closer.
<br><br>
The BuzzClip is an electronic device that offers upper body protection
that is sometimes missed by a guide dog or cane. It is not meant to be a
replacement for the cane or a guide dog rather it is supposed to work in
tandem with traditional aids to provide the user more information on
their surroundings, particularly at head level. The BuzzClip can be
easily attached to many forms of clothing (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) making it a highly versatile and useful device at
an affordable price.<br><br>
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, the U.S and India. Although we do
use the same ultrasonic technology, the technology has become much more
refined over the 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
or crowded rooms 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. <br>
It provides extra information on one's surroundings passively and users
are constantly finding new ways to use this extra information. <br><br>
The BuzzClip is currently available to pre-order on a crowdfunding
platform ‘Indiegogo’ for the next 25 days and is being offered at a
discounted price of $129 USD<br>
After this campaign ends on November 22nd, the final batch of BuzzClips
will be manufactured and shipped to our supporters by March of 2016.<br>
More information/videos on our product can be found here:
<a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-buzzclip-wearable-ultrasound-for-the-blind/x/11673979#/">
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-buzzclip-wearable-ultrasound-for-the-blind/x/11673979#/</a>
<br>
The link above is our Indiegogo page address and Indiegogo is one of the
largest Crowdfunding website in the world that is based in the United
States just like Kickstarter. <br><br>
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
provides vibratory feedback if there are obstacles or people in your path
or coming directly at you. 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 cm. So once it is switched 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 (10 hours)
on a single charge and it is rechargeable through a Micro-USB cable.
(just like android phones)<br><br>
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 device consists of 3
main sections, a sensor arm that is circular and smaller than the size of
an iPod nano in terms of area. 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 main body is rectangular with rounded edges and is
roughly the size of a lighter. The micro-USB charging port is on the side
of the main body. On the back of the main body is the vibration motor arm
which is spring-loaded for when one is wearing loose clothing. 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 part that will be exposed is the
circular sensor arm. <br><br>
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, cool wearable, tech vibes, Cool Blind Tech
and CNET. I won't attach links here, but you can find us on those
websites if you need reassurance. The Founders names are Bin Liu and
Arjun Mali and you can reach them +1 (647) 919 6565 for Bin and +1 (647)
919 9269 for Arjun.<br><br>
Hope this information helps and is useful to some of you. If you have any
questions for us, we would be happy to answer them. <br>
You can contact us at
<a href="mailto:info@imerciv.com">info@imerciv.com</a> or give us a call
at one of the numbers provided above.<br><br>
Thank You & Best Regards,<br><br>
<font color="#531B93"><b>Arjun Mali<br>
</b></font><font color="#797979"><i>Co-Founder & Chief Financial
Officer<br>
iMerciv Inc.<br>
</i></font><font color="#531B93">Email:</font>
<a href="mailto:arjunmali@imerciv.com"><font color="#797979">
arjunmali@imerciv.com</a></font> .
<font color="#531B93">Phone:</font>
<font color="#797979">(647)-919-9269
.
</font><a href="http://www.imerciv.com"><b>www.imerciv.com</a><br>
</b><br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">On Oct 27, 2015, at 7:38 PM,
David Andrews
<<a href="mailto:dandrews@visi.com">dandrews@visi.com</a>>
wrote:<br><br>
Send it to me and I will put it on the appropriate lists.<br><br>
Dave<br><br>
At 06:28 PM 10/27/2015, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">Hi David,<br><br>
I wanted to apologize for the manner in which our information was
presented to the NFB mailing lists. <br>
Honestly we were not trying to spam anyone and I realize that it must
have been annoying to receive an bombardment of emails from our
team.<br>
<br>
I have spoken to all members of our team and I ensure you that it will
not happen again.<br>
We wanted to spread the news about our new product and get some feedback
from the audience we cater to and thought that NFB members would be the
best people to engage.<br>
Some NFB lists engaged in discussions with us and found the info very
useful once we were able to answer their questions, hence we have since
re-written our message to provide informative details about our company,
our new product and our overall mission.<br><br>
Which lists would you recommend sharing our information with?<br>
Please advise us on the appropriate methods of communicating with NFB
member lists so that we do not violate any mailing list rules.<br>
Once again we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you
and we look forward to engaging in meaningful discussions with members of
the NFB.<br><br>
Thank You & Best Regards,<br><br>
<font color="#531B93"><b>Arjun Mali<br>
</b></font><font color="#797979"><i>Co-Founder & Chief Financial
Officer<br>
iMerciv Inc.<br>
</i></font><font color="#531B93">Email:</font>
<a href="mailto:arjunmali@imerciv.com"><font color="#797979">
arjunmali@imerciv.com</a></font> .
<font color="#531B93">Phone:</font>
<font color="#797979">(647)-919-9269
.
</font><a href="http://www.imerciv.com/"><b>www.imerciv.com</a><br>
</b><br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
</blockquote> David Andrews and
long white cane Harry.<br>
E-Mail: <a href="mailto:dandrews@visi.com">dandrews@visi.com</a> or
<a href="mailto:david.andrews@nfbnet.org">david.andrews@nfbnet.org</a>
</blockquote></blockquote>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<x-tab> </x-tab>David
Andrews and long white cane Harry.<br>
E-Mail: dandrews@visi.com or david.andrews@nfbnet.org<br>
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