What do you think about this new navigation aid being developed by uni students? We value your feedback! :)

[BMengineer]

Hi all, I'm new here. I'm a Biomedical Engineering student at the University of Bradford. I'm working with a team to make this cool new head-worn device to help people including Glaucoma. It helps to be more aware of surroundings by alerting the wearer of nearby obstacles.

I just wanted to know your thoughts, any comments or what you would potentially like/dislike about this?

I have added more detail in the reply below this.

I am happy to provide more details or/and specific questions to help get your feedback

Thanks

[BMengineer]

Imagine: As you are walking indoors/outdoors, there may be obstacles around you such as lampposts, cars when crossing roads or any other hazardous object.

The headband detects these kinds of objects and makes a noise or vibration to indicate the potential hazard. As it is worn on the head, it will be able to detect objects near the head and body (about 2m away).

The aim is to give people the independence and confidence to travel safely.

Please give some feedback (all thoughts and comments welcome:

Would you find this interesting? Is this a good idea? Would you find it useful or buy it? What features would you want it to have? Or what would you want it to do?

[Purchris in reply to BMengineer]

sounds interesting. I have glaucoma with some loss of peripheral vision. My thought is that any such device for me would be useful if it could be adjusted to detect specific areas of visual field. For me the problem is trip hazards because my visual impairment is at the bottom area of my visual field. I’ve also had to learn to be cautious when walking down steps, which are slightly different from trip hazards. If the device just detected objects generally that were 2m away, for me that would be an annoyance. The other factor that would determine whether I might use it could be how easy to wear and unobtrusive the device itself is. Something that attaches to the frame of spectacles might be better than a head band. Good luck with your research.

[BMengineer in reply to Purchris]

Thank you! That is very helpful.

And in terms of the alert feedback for a nearby hazard which you would receive while it is worn, how would you like the device to say that there is a hazard?

For example: by sound, vibration etc

Also, what if it were possible to get in the shape of "bone conduction headsets"? Would that be better?

I like your idea of integrating this device with spectacles to make it more discreet.

Thanks again!

[Peg99 in reply to BMengineer]

I agree with other posters, this sounds like a good idea; anything that would help alert us to obstacles would be a bonus.

I have all round sight loss and have lost all my peripheral vision so I would find a device useful that alerted me to obstacles up, down, right and left of me. In particular, like others, my greatest need is to be alerted to obstacles on the floor (including small children!).

I could live with a buzzer or a beep though there are so many gadgets that beep these days that a buzz might be better. I would definitely be interested in buying one of these devices if not extortionately expensive and wish you luck in your development of the device.

[BMengineer in reply to Peg99]

Thank you! Your thoughts are really helpful to emphasise the potential of the product. Also, it tells us what matters most to people like you, so we can improve and prioritise.

[Kestrel01]

I agree with Purchris, an interesting concept. I have the opposite problem of having lost my upper peripheral vision so tend to get clouted on the head by low branches / entrances if I don't keep glancing upwards. Although like Purchris I also get caught out by trip hazards because while I'm watching where I'm putting my feet on an uneven surface, I've no upper peripheral vision to see what I'm about to fall over next.

Vibration would be a useful alert. A bone conduction device on a headband would suit me but I'd try out anything that may make me a safer pedestrian!

Good luck with the research.

[BMengineer in reply to Kestrel01]

Thanks so much for that!

I understand and hopefully this device can address those head high objects like low branches

Thanks you again!

Let me know if any more ideas/comments come in mind

[Crafted]

Low tree branches also problematic for me so detection of those definitely useful. I very much like the idea of bone conduction as I have a hearing impairment too and use bone conduction headphones very successfully. I also tend to trip over things on the floor - mostly in the house. And try to be extra careful on stairs. Spectacle integration also sounds good but I would think it would need to be featherlight tech in specs so that they stay correctly positioned. Low cost would also be important. If you need anyone to test anything out I would be up for that and I live in Leeds which is not too far away. Best of luck with the research😊

[BMengineer in reply to Crafted]

Thank you so much! Your feedback is very helpful to improve the product design. It's going to be tricky but it's great to get some feedback from potential users!Thanks!

[praying4cure]

I have all the same concerns as others who have replied to your post: overhead branches, trip hazards, small children close by, etc. As I envision a typical walk outdoors or through the market wearing your device, I imagine this device would be signaling me so frequently as to render it a distraction from the focus I need to navigate by my own senses. But I'd be willing to give it a try, preferably with a vibration indicating the quadrant in which the object appears. I'd suggest an unobtrusitive device, such as one which might attach to the stems of eyeglasses above and below the back of each ear. (For now, I find a hiking stick helps with depth perception, stability, and alerting others to my difficulties.)

[BMengineer in reply to praying4cure]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!We're in the process of making this a functional product.

Like you said, I think it's important to not overdo it as it is distracting.