Go offline with the Player FM app!
Podcasts Worth a Listen
SPONSORED


1 America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 - Tryouts, Tears, & Texas 32:48
Batman Technology: Using Sonar for Human Navigation
Manage episode 305810312 series 2934485
This podcast is about big ideas on how technology is making life better for people with vision loss.
Today’s big idea is Sonar and a somewhat similar technology called LiDAR! Can we use the latest sonar technology for obstacle detection the way bats and other nocturnal creatures do? There have been many exciting advances happening in sonar sensors that now make this possible for people who are blind. However, unlike bats, we won’t need to receive feedback signals through our ears. Advances in haptic technologies and languages make communication through touch possible. Dr. Cal Roberts talks with Dr. Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell from the College of Natural and Applied Science at the University of Alberta, Ben Eynon, and Diego Roel from Strap Technologies, Marco Trujillo of Sunu, and Sam Seavey of The Blind Life YouTube Channel to find out more.
The Big Takeaways:
- How does a bat see what it sees? Dr. Kalcounis-Rueppell studies bats and how they use sound to thrive in their nighttime world. Bats use a series of echoes to see a 3D view of their environment, but their world isn’t always so simple. There’s rain, there are leaves, and other creatures flying that bats need to detect with their sonar. Similarly, people with vision impairment have to use their hearing to navigate complex auditory environments.
- Strap Technologies uses Sonar and LiDAR sensors that can be strapped across the chest, which helps people who are blind detect obstacles. These kinds of sensors have been used to park spacecraft, but with recent developments, they’re finally small enough that a human can wear them in a compact way. Ben and Diego share how it works.
- Unlike Sonor, LiDAR technology uses pulsed laser light instead of sound waves.
- Though bats have been honing their echolocation skills for millennia, interpreting information haptically, rather than sonically, is an adaptation that humans, using technologies like Strap, can make. Haptic information can help us navigate without sight through the use of vibrations, which is great news because it means we can leave our ears open to process our active world. More specifically, Ben and Diego suggest that people may no longer need to use a cane to detect obstacles.
- Ben and Diego are excited about the future. With their technology, they hope to create quick-reacting haptic technology so people who are blind can one day ride a bike or run a race. Infrared or radiation sensors could be added in the future to detect other hazards in the environment. The more user feedback they receive, the easier it will be to add on these product enhancements.
- Another way we can approximate sight is through echolocation. However, how easy is it for us to hear echoes, really? For Marco at Sunu, it’s actually a natural skill we can learn to develop. Similar to Strap Technologies, the process of learning echolocation could be improved if you're wearing a Sunu Band.
- Sam Seavey was diagnosed at age 11 with Stargardt’s Disease. He decided to use his voice and video skills to create a YouTube review channel for those who need to use assistive tech. The positive feedback from the community keeps him going. Sam has personally reviewed the Sunu Band, and you can check out the link to his review in the show notes!
Tweetables:
“They parked spacecraft with these same sensors, and recent developments have really pushed the miniaturization of the components, such that a human being can now wear them in a very compact form factor.” — Ben Eynon
“He said, ‘I’m walking faster than I have in a long, long time,’ because he started to trust that the haptic vibrations were telling him every obstacle in the way.” — Ben Eynon shares the reaction from a user who is visually impaired testing Strap
“We're changing our environment around us in ways that also change the acoustic environment.” — Dr. Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell
“How is it that we have self-driving cars, we have rockets that land themselves like, we have a better iPhone every year, but we don’t have something better than a stick? How can this happen? We still have people moving around and having issues every day.” — Marco Trujillo
Contact Us:
Contact us at podcasts@lighthouseguild.org with your innovative new technology ideas for people with vision loss.
Pertinent Links:
36 episodes
Manage episode 305810312 series 2934485
This podcast is about big ideas on how technology is making life better for people with vision loss.
Today’s big idea is Sonar and a somewhat similar technology called LiDAR! Can we use the latest sonar technology for obstacle detection the way bats and other nocturnal creatures do? There have been many exciting advances happening in sonar sensors that now make this possible for people who are blind. However, unlike bats, we won’t need to receive feedback signals through our ears. Advances in haptic technologies and languages make communication through touch possible. Dr. Cal Roberts talks with Dr. Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell from the College of Natural and Applied Science at the University of Alberta, Ben Eynon, and Diego Roel from Strap Technologies, Marco Trujillo of Sunu, and Sam Seavey of The Blind Life YouTube Channel to find out more.
The Big Takeaways:
- How does a bat see what it sees? Dr. Kalcounis-Rueppell studies bats and how they use sound to thrive in their nighttime world. Bats use a series of echoes to see a 3D view of their environment, but their world isn’t always so simple. There’s rain, there are leaves, and other creatures flying that bats need to detect with their sonar. Similarly, people with vision impairment have to use their hearing to navigate complex auditory environments.
- Strap Technologies uses Sonar and LiDAR sensors that can be strapped across the chest, which helps people who are blind detect obstacles. These kinds of sensors have been used to park spacecraft, but with recent developments, they’re finally small enough that a human can wear them in a compact way. Ben and Diego share how it works.
- Unlike Sonor, LiDAR technology uses pulsed laser light instead of sound waves.
- Though bats have been honing their echolocation skills for millennia, interpreting information haptically, rather than sonically, is an adaptation that humans, using technologies like Strap, can make. Haptic information can help us navigate without sight through the use of vibrations, which is great news because it means we can leave our ears open to process our active world. More specifically, Ben and Diego suggest that people may no longer need to use a cane to detect obstacles.
- Ben and Diego are excited about the future. With their technology, they hope to create quick-reacting haptic technology so people who are blind can one day ride a bike or run a race. Infrared or radiation sensors could be added in the future to detect other hazards in the environment. The more user feedback they receive, the easier it will be to add on these product enhancements.
- Another way we can approximate sight is through echolocation. However, how easy is it for us to hear echoes, really? For Marco at Sunu, it’s actually a natural skill we can learn to develop. Similar to Strap Technologies, the process of learning echolocation could be improved if you're wearing a Sunu Band.
- Sam Seavey was diagnosed at age 11 with Stargardt’s Disease. He decided to use his voice and video skills to create a YouTube review channel for those who need to use assistive tech. The positive feedback from the community keeps him going. Sam has personally reviewed the Sunu Band, and you can check out the link to his review in the show notes!
Tweetables:
“They parked spacecraft with these same sensors, and recent developments have really pushed the miniaturization of the components, such that a human being can now wear them in a very compact form factor.” — Ben Eynon
“He said, ‘I’m walking faster than I have in a long, long time,’ because he started to trust that the haptic vibrations were telling him every obstacle in the way.” — Ben Eynon shares the reaction from a user who is visually impaired testing Strap
“We're changing our environment around us in ways that also change the acoustic environment.” — Dr. Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell
“How is it that we have self-driving cars, we have rockets that land themselves like, we have a better iPhone every year, but we don’t have something better than a stick? How can this happen? We still have people moving around and having issues every day.” — Marco Trujillo
Contact Us:
Contact us at podcasts@lighthouseguild.org with your innovative new technology ideas for people with vision loss.
Pertinent Links:
36 episodes
All episodes
×

1 The Paradigm Shift in Innovation: Remixing Existing Tech to Advance Accessibility 29:25

1 How Well Do You Really Need to See to Drive? 26:19




1 Biosensors: The Future of Diagnostic Medicine 31:51

1 The World in Your Hand: The Power of Generative AI 26:47


1 Developing Big Ideas: Product Testing and Iteration 37:34


1 Smart Cities and Autonomous Driving: How Technology is Providing Greater Freedom of Movement for People with Vision Loss 39:13

1 Leveling Up Accessible Video Game Features: How New Technology is Making Gaming More Immersive and Inclusive for People with Vision Loss 31:06

1 A Celebration of Sound and Song: Music Tech Shines the Spotlight on Musicians with Vision Loss 34:40

1 Ambient Computing and Voice Assistants: From Your Home to the Stars 34:53

1 New Approaches in Access: Smart Tools for Indoor Navigation and Information Transfer 39:13

1 AI Revolutionizes Vision Tech, Ophthalmology, and Medicine as We Know It 35:51

1 Balancing Innovation and Ethics: Who is Protecting the Early Adopters? 31:01

1 Tools for Success: Tech Convergence and Co-Designed Products Close Gaps for Children Who are Blind 32:25

1 Innovations in Intraocular Pressure and Closed-Loop Drug Delivery Systems 35:50

1 Restoring Vision: Code Breaking and Optogenetics 31:05

1 Seeing with Sound: Using Audio to Activate the Brain’s Visual Cortex 30:02

1 Beyond Self Driving Cars: Technologies for Autonomous Human Navigation 25:23

1 Batman Technology: Using Sonar for Human Navigation 23:21

1 The Latest Frontier in Tactile Technologies 26:02

1 Cortical Brain Implants Are Paving the Way for Visual Restorative Medicine 29:49

1 How the Simple QR Code Became an Empowering Navigation Tool 24:46

1 Telehealth Is Opening the Doors for Patient Eye Health 30:38


1 Improving Visual Impairment with Technology 29:21



1 A “Remapped Reality” — Using Virtual Reality to Remap the Visual Field 30:59


1 Seeing with Your Ears: Translating the Visual World to Audio 30:49

Welcome to Player FM!
Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices.