Perceptual Alternatives: Tony Heye's Home page in Australia Tony invented and markets a very effective electronic navigation aid called the Sonic Pathfinder. The Pathfinder is in use all over the world and is a highly effective navigation tool. The Sonic Pathfinder developed from research conducted at the Blind Mobility Research Unit at Nottingham University in England. This famous institution is no longer in operation due to government cutbacks in England. The earlier prototype for the Pathfinder was called the Nottingham Obstacle Detector.
The GuideCane is being developed at the University of Michigan Department of Engineering. They are also developing a robotic system for wheelchairs. The inventor of the GuideCane, Dr. Johann Borenstein, has set up a web page that contains media clips about the invention. The guidecane locates objects and steers the users around obstacles.
Radar on a chip was announced by Lawrence Livermore Labs but there was no discussion of use by the blind. This needs to be followed up on.
The Nurion Laser Cane, the Mowat Sensor, and the Lindsey Russell Pathsounder are pioneering electronic travel aids that are still in use today. The Mowat sensor is a hand held "flashlight" for the blind. The Pathsounder was a small box that hung around the neck of the user. It was, and still is useful for blind people who use wheelchairs. The laser cane sends out laser signals which are translated to the finger tips of the hand holding the cane. The laser cane detected drop offs and overhead obstacles. Nurion Industries markets not only the laser cane, but also a unit called the Polaron, and a Wheelchair Pathfinder. Brytech Corporation in Canada offers an ultrasonic mobility aid called the Sensory 6.
The Miniguide is the invention of Greg Phillips from Australia. It was marketed for the first time in the year 2000. The miniguide is about the size of a match box, it is very light, and it only costs about $250.00. It has multiple settings that allow the user to change the range, feedback mode, and sensitivity.