LiDAR

This cane uses autonomous vehicle technology to help guide visually impaired and blind travellers

October 18, 2021 6:37 am

Stanford University researchers have constructed a cane that could be of significant use to the blind or visually impaired.

The standard white cane is an essential aid for getting out and about for many visually impaired people, but to date, it hasn’t offered much in the way of affordable modern updates. Borrowing technology designed for autonomous vehicles, the team has come up with a self-navigating smart cane that can identify obstacles in the surrounding environment, and nudge the user safely away from them. read more

AccessiBuild Indoor Navigation App Launches for People with Vision Loss

January 10, 2020 1:06 pm

AccessiBuild, developed by Marc Rayner and Jeff Godfrey, is an indoor navigation system for people with visual impairments.

Jeff Godfrey is doing his best to ensure a barrier-free Canada. The general manager of Y4U Technologies in North Bay has created a platform to solve the issue of building accessibility for those who are blind or partially sighted.

After Bill C-81 was passed in June 2018, Godfrey took a closer look at the accessible building models currently available to the public. He realized that he had the chance to create something, using a sustainable development model, that would address the problem that exists with building navigation. read more

Legally Blind Engineer Makes Self-Driving Car Sensors See

September 13, 2019 9:37 am

Nico Gentry, a 25-year-old manufacturing engineer from Orlando, Florida, is working in the autonomous car industry, where “they’re building the eyes for cars,” as he put it. He works at a LiDAR company called Luminar. LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging; it’s a sensor technology that uses light to measure distance and detect objects, and it’s often called the “eyes” of self-driving cars.

Gentry has always loved cars. “I wanted so badly to get my permit and eventually my driver’s license,” said in a recent interview. But a neurological disorder called nystagmus that affects his eyes means he’s been legally blind since birth. read more